


The Hunter And The Prey

by Kunstpause



Category: Baldur's Gate, baldur's gate 3
Genre: Biting, Blood, Cunnilingus, F/M, Hand Jobs, Injury, Light Dom/sub, Mild Painplay, Oral Sex, Sexual Tension, Vaginal Sex, Vampire Bites, Vampires, baldur's gate 3 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:48:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27029104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunstpause/pseuds/Kunstpause
Summary: When Kara finds out Astarion's secret, she gets more than one surprise and definitely more than she bargained for.
Relationships: Astarion/Female Protagonist, Astarion/Original Female Character
Comments: 62
Kudos: 438





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am self-indulgently filling out the gaps in the romance scenes we got so far. Will add more tags as the story progresses.

At night, the camp was peaceful and quiet—a stark opposite to how the days went lately. Around Kara, her companions were mostly deeply asleep. Astarion offered to keep the first watch and was most likely somewhere patrolling their campsite. The fire everyone had put their bedrolls around was still burning lowly, covering the center of their camp in a warm, calming glow.

Kara tried to find her way into her trance, to get into a deeper, more relaxing state, but like so many nights lately, it gave her nothing but trouble. The thing in her head kept disturbing her peace. It was a curious, unnerving sensation. On the one hand, it gave her strength, power, and an uncanny feeling of satisfaction every now and then, but on the other hand, it kept sapping her concentration, disturbed her equilibrium, and made her… tired. Just a few nights ago, for the first time in her life, it had even made her fall into a restless bout of sleep. 

Kara remembered a time where she had envied other races for their ability to sleep. It had always looked so peaceful. And the stories she had heard of people dreaming had seemed so enticing, alluring even. But after that first dream a few nights ago, she was certain nothing of that envy remained. Yes, the dreams had been every bit as alluring as she thought they would be, but at the same time, they were so profoundly unsettling. As was the prospect of falling asleep again after that first experience. 

But the thing in her mind seemed to be relentless at sapping her strength and refusing to let her rest, refusing to let her go into her trance, and soon she felt her eyes getting heavy once more, and she knew struggling against it would be pointless. With a sigh of defeat, she slipped down onto her bedroll, just in time for her eyes to fall shut.

The sleep was anything but peaceful. Restlessly, she flitted between dreams and nightmares. When she woke up again, Kara wasn’t sure if it was because she felt something was absolutely wrong or if it was just a lucky coincidence, but she woke to a touch. A hand clasped around her hip, another drawing her hair aside before something grazed against her neck, and she flinched, her eyes flying open in an instant.

The touch retreated instantly as she turned around and looked at Astarion. “Shit,” he cursed quietly, looking down at her with the face of a man who knew very well he just got caught doing something he shouldn’t have done. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“What are you doing?” Even though she kept her voice low, not willing to rouse the entire camp just yet, it held clear accusation in it.

Astarion scrambled back a bit, shaking his head. “No, no - it’s not what it looks like, I swear!” he assured her, and there was almost something like a hint of panic in his eyes. “I wasn’t going to hurt you! I just needed-” he shook his head, taking a deep breath before giving her an almost sheepish look. “Well, blood…”

There, in the dim firelight, pieces of a puzzle fell into place, and Kara’s eyes widened as she finally saw him for what he really was, and her mind finally caught up, suddenly seeing all the little hints that had been there. The time they found the drained corpse, his willingness to keep night-watch. Hells, he had even blatantly asked Wyll what he knew about hunting a certain kind of monster and had told Kara herself the most secure way of killing him, should the tadpole take over, would be decapitation… For a moment, Kara felt like a complete fool. His mouth was slightly open, and in the dim light of the moon, she could see it clearly. Fangs. Astarion was a vampire. And from the burning look in his eyes, it was obvious that something was raging inside him - hunger.

“How long since you last killed someone?” she asked quietly. “Days? Hours?”

“It’s not what you think - I’m not some monster!” Astarion sounded almost offended, but underneath, the unease and the hint of desperation in his tone did not go away. “I feed on animals! Boars, deer, kobolds - whatever I can get,” he explained hastily. “But… I’m just too slow right now. Too weak.” As Kara looked a bit closer, she could see what he meant. Could see the signs of pure exhaustion on his face. He had hidden it well before, but the longer she watched him, the more obviously she could see how tired he was. How worn he looked. “If I just had a little blood, I could think clearer. Fight better,” he said softly before his eyes found hers. “Please.”

Kara swallowed at his request. There was something in his eyes, something in the way he asked, the way he said that one little word _\- please -_ that made part of her want to ignore years of training and reflexes and simply say yes. Thankfully, her last bit of common sense hadn’t completely left her yet.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked instead of giving him an answer only to watch his shoulders sink.

“At best, I was sure you’d say no,” Astarion said carefully before shrugging. “More likely, you’d ram a stake through my ribs.” He shook his head in defeat, and Kara briefly wondered just how many people he had met in his life had tried to do precisely that when he sighed. “No, I needed you to trust me. And you _can_ trust me.”

Kara raised her eyebrows. “You tried to bite me…” she pointed out. But her words held no accusation. Part of her was nearly screaming at her to reach for her weapon, to be on the defense, to pay no mind to his words. She had never met a vampire before, but she knew the stories. Their bite was deadly. They were not particularly known for letting their victims live. But at the same time, they had been fighting side by side since they met. Astarion had backed her up in battle and negotiations alike. And even if he hadn’t shared her opinions, he had not held them against her. And most of all, he sounded so incredibly honest when talking to her now, his usually flashy veneer all but gone. He was either speaking the truth or was the best actor she had ever seen in her life. With a disbelieving snort at herself, she said, “I believe you. I’ve trusted you so far, and you had my back the entire time.”

“And that’s not going to change!” Astarion’s answer was immediate and heartfelt. “I mean, thank you. For hearing me out and not attacking.” There seemed to be genuine relief running through him before his look turned hesitant again, and he asked, “But do you think you could trust me just a little further? I only need a taste, I swear.”

Only a taste. Kara swallowed as the urge to reach for her weapon ran through her once more. But then she saw the pleading look in his eyes again, and she slowly faltered. Was she really about to do this? Without any guarantees? He had pleaded with her to trust him. With a sigh she realized, she was about to find out one way or the other if her trust was justified.

“Fine,” Kara said quietly, trying to get herself to relax. “but don’t take more than you need.”

“Really?” Despite the insistence with which he had asked her for this, there was a look of genuine surprise on Astarion’s face. “I-” he started, only to somewhat stumble over his words as he inched closer again. “Of course. Not one drop more.” His promise, like his assurances before, sounded completely honest. As he leaned closer, Kara could see the tension in his every move. Something shone in his eyes as he motioned her to lie back down, and she almost gasped at the intensity of it. The sheer hunger on his face showed in every look and every tense and still tightly controlled move. He was not just hungry - he was starving, Kara realized, briefly wondering if that meant she made the right choice or if it meant she just made a horrible mistake.

Astarion's arm slipped around her, guiding her gently back into the position he had found her in, lying with her back towards him as he got comfortable behind her, once again drawing her hair away from her neck. He held her carefully, delicately. Until he struck. 

Even though she had expected it, Kara was unprepared for the sensation of his teeth piercing through her flesh. Like a shard of ice slicing into her neck, it was a sharp pain. But it quickly faded into numbness as her breath got caught in her throat, and her pulse quickened. Her first instinct was to struggle, to push him away, regardless of having agreed to this. His arm around her tightened as if he sensed her desire to resist, holding her firmly in place as he placed his other hand on her hips, keeping her still against him. 

As the remnants of pain died down completely, Kara became more and more aware of everything else. His lips on her skin were soft and warm, compared to the coldness of the bite. Astarion let out a soft moan as he bit down harder, his arm around her tightening. Kara flinched briefly as a small renewed stab of pain went through her, but it was gone almost immediately, leaving her to focus on the way his fingers dug into her hips, grasping for purchase.

She had expected the pain. Had expected it to be uncomfortable and assumed she would merely be doing him a favor. But it felt more and more like something else. Slowly, Kara found herself leaning back into him with a sudden yearning to lose herself in the embrace. Her blood was racing, coursing through both of their bodies, and a heat bloomed between her thighs as hot spikes of arousal ran through her. A small moan spilled over her lips as her eyes fluttered shut. 

Kara pressed her legs together tightly. A feeble attempt to alleviate her growing desire. It was utterly useless as it washed through her, followed by a shudder of embarrassment. He was biting her, feeding on her blood all while she found herself withering in his arms, not from pain but driven by lust? Unacceptable. Clawing to hold on to her last remaining bit of self-respect, Kara reached for his arm around her, gently nudging it.

“Stop,” she whispered. It was barely audible, even to herself, but Astarion reacted instantly. 

With a muffled moan, he drew away from her neck. “Of course,” he murmured, sounding slightly dazed. The night air felt cold against the parts of Kara’s skin where his mouth had been only a second ago, sending a flash of goosebumps over her, and she shook slightly in his arms. With a revered note in his voice, Astarion added, “That… that was amazing.” Kara bit down another moan as his fingertips grazed over her neck before he leaned closer once more and let his tongue run over the small bite marks, licking off the leftover drops of blood on her skin. “My mind is finally clear,” he murmured. “I feel so much stronger, and… happy?” He sounded genuinely startled for a moment before his tongue darted out again, licking over the bite on her neck once more, and this time Kara couldn’t suppress the low moan in her throat. 

She shifted slightly, trying to slip out of his embrace as casually as possible while trying to downplay her reaction but his arm around her was like steel all of a sudden.

“You are enjoying this a lot more than I thought you would,” Astarion murmured with a sense of wonder in his voice. “I did not expect you to be quite so… receptive of my advances.”

“Neither did I,” Kara mumbled back, her honest reply sounding quiet and almost timid under the embarrassment that came with it. She had found him attractive before, there was no doubt about that, but nothing could have prepared her for the feeling of pure lust his bite had stirred in her. “I’m sorry,” she added quietly, pressing her eyes shut. “I didn’t want to make this uncomfortable or awkward.” She strained to move away again. If he would just let her go, she could put some distance between them, and hopefully, by tomorrow, they could ignore this bit and pretend it never happened. But it was to no avail, for he didn’t let her move.

“Uncomfortable?” Astarion nearly purred next to her ear as his fingers ran over her neck again, sending another shiver through her. “Why would you think that… _oh!_ ” He stopped himself, shifting slightly behind her. “You think what drew me to you was only the hunger?” he asked before clicking his tongue in disapproval. “Dearest, you thoroughly underestimate your own appeal.” 

As Astarion spoke, his hand wandered down back to her hip, and a moment later, he pressed himself closer and fully against her. Kara gasped sharply as she felt him, his hard length pressing against her ass through their clothes. His hand on her hips moved as he chuckled softly against her. “Well,” he said in a gleeful tone, “being aware of this means I can offer some sort of compensation at least.” 

Before Kara could ask what he meant by that, his hand slipped in between her tunic and her pants, fingers brushing the soft skin of her stomach and sending another bout of goosebumps through her before they dipped underneath the hem of her leggings and in between her legs. A sharp gasp left her mouth as he found his way along her smooth folds, curious fingers spreading her apart before they found the spot they were looking for. 

Kara moaned at the touch, her hands reaching for his arm, fingers clawing into his clothes and flesh. Astarion seemed wholly unbothered by her rough grasp on him as he started to circle her clit. She began to shake as sparks of pleasure went through her, nearly forgetting for a moment that they were still surrounded by their sleeping companions. Just in time, she remembered, reining herself in with the last bit of her willpower to not get too loud. A feat that became harder and harder by the second as every move he made sent her further towards ecstasy.

Kara was breathing harshly, trying to keep her moans down when something shifted. His fingers slid gently over her face in one moment, only to press down harder the next. “Shhh,” Astarion hummed quietly against her ear as his hand clamped down firmly around her mouth, keeping her from making a sound as he whispered, “Just one more little taste. You won’t mind, will you?” Kara tensed in his hold. His hand on her mouth turned harder as his fangs sank into her neck again, and she let out a muffled scream of surprise. 

There was pain as well, but like before, it wasn’t overbearing, barely even noticeable. Certainly not when his hand in her pants sped up, rubbing over her clit in fast, precise moves. The moment his lips closed around the wounds on her neck, and he started to suck, something in Kara burst with pleasure. With a small yell and a deep groan in her throat that both got held back by his unmoving hand over her mouth, Kara came, shuddering in his arms. 

The aftershocks of her orgasm still shook through her as his hand around her mouth loosened before he drew away, letting her both speak and breathe freely again. He playfully licked once more over the bite before pressing his lips against her neck in a brief kiss. Kara was still panting harshly as his fingers in her pants moved once more, sliding teasingly lower, barely dipping inside the wetness between her legs.

“So willing, so ready for me,” Astarion murmured against her neck with a shudder going through him. “You are temptation in every conceivable way.”

Kara gasped at the low rumble in his voice. It sent renewed shivers of anticipation through her as she pushed back into his hand. “Then what are you waiting for?”

With an almost desperate sounding sigh, Astarion drew his hand back. Away from her overheated flesh and out from underneath her clothes. “Dearest,” he said, sounding utterly regretful all of a sudden, “I fear, if I took you now, I would bury myself inside you in more than one way, and not even your most honest plea would get me to stop.” He shifted slightly before kissing her neck once more. “You have been positively delicious, invigorating even, but I am starving, and I need something more filling. Something that will most likely not survive my hunger…” 

Kara let out a breath she hadn’t even been aware she was holding at his words. As much as she wanted him to stay right now, as much as she wanted what just happened between them to continue, she was nothing but glad to realize that he had spoken the truth earlier. He truly didn’t want to harm her. Slowly, she nodded. “In that case, stopping this right here sounds sensible,” she agreed, a hint of a smile blooming on her face before she added a soft, “thank you!”

As she shifted to both sit up and turn around, Astarion got up behind her, shaking his head. “No, thank you!” he insisted. “This is a gift, you know. I won’t forget it!” As he rose to his feet, Kara noticed the vast difference from before. Where he had been almost stilted earlier, he now moved gracefully and smooth. His eyes looked sharp, and his whole demeanor felt suddenly much more dangerous than before. Threatening. Predatory. But somehow, Kara couldn’t feel afraid. Not after this. Not when her first thought was something entirely different. “I’m looking forward to seeing you fight,” she said, the anticipation shining clearly through her voice.

Astarion let out a delighted chuckle as he looked down at her, casually licking his fingers in delight. “Shouldn’t take long,” he said lowly with a promising look in his eyes. “So many people need killing.”

His look sent another spike of heat through her, and Kara found herself looking forward to their next fight all of a sudden. If the change she witnessed right now was any indication, she would be in for a glorious spectacle indeed. 

“You should get some rest,” Astarion said at that moment. “I’ll see you in the morning.” And with that, he turned around, and Kara watched him stalk towards the nearby forest. Even the way he carried himself had changed, she realized, as she watched his retreating form looking stronger. More confident. Ready to hunt. And from the way he had looked at her earlier, she wasn’t entirely certain if, despite all his assurances, he didn’t consider her prey. But she was all but certain that she would find out sooner rather than later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to get back into writing after Kinktober taking up all my energy, but here we go; I hope you enjoy.  
> And since I'm already in the middle of chapter three, the wait won't be as long next time, hopefully.

Kara hadn’t been sure what to expect. After another useless attempt at finding some semblance of meditative peace, morning snuck up on her faster than anticipated. With it, Astarion returned to camp, and despite everyone else having been asleep during their nightly activities, it did not take long for them to see the obvious change in Astarion and the very visible bite-mark on her neck and put two and two together.

But while her judgment and good sense were definitely questioned, the conversation stayed surprisingly polite. From her experiences in the Underdark, Kara would have expected dramatic displays of aggression, perhaps a challenge or even the possibility of an open fight. But while they clearly disapproved, their companions were surprisingly calm about the whole thing, except for one or two sharper remarks about leaving their own necks intact. 

She could see in the way Astarion tensed before he laughed at a remark from Gale that he, too, seemed a little taken aback by the fact. 

Kara counted her blessings with a smile, even when he threw her for a loop not shortly after as she suggested a repeat. His answer was noncommittal, sounding almost a little dismissive, and if she had only heard the words and his blasé tone, Kara would have been tempted to think that he genuinely didn’t care. But the look in his eyes as they narrowed at her, and the way he absentmindedly licked his lips as his eyes wandered down to her neck, told her a decidedly different story. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of the whole thing. But if she had learned one thing about him, it was that most of the time, Astarion was an excellent actor. Taking his words at face value would not be a wise choice to make. But after the glimpse behind his mask she got last night, Kara was willing to play along with his casual display. At least for now.

As they set out for the day, making their way to try and find a way to save the Grove, they settled into something like an unspoken agreement to continue exactly as they had been before. Quips, snarky comments, and jovial banter with their companions filled the air, with not a trace of what had transpired between them visible. It was almost as if the night before hadn’t happened at all, were it not for the smallest of moments when Astarion’s gaze would linger on her just a little bit longer than before. 

Something Kara did in turn. Especially when a small disagreement with a band of Goblins turned into a fight. Despite being thoroughly busy on her own, Kara couldn’t help but watch Astarion from the corner of her eye. He moved noticeably faster than before. Like liquid. His fluid movements were just a little bit too smooth to look completely natural. While she dodged and parried crude attacks, striking her attackers down without really giving them a second glance, she watched as he gleefully sank his fangs into an opponent, his eyes sparkling at the gurgled scream that died down impressively quick. As the drained creature fell, already dead before hitting the ground, Kara was almost mesmerized by the sound of a genuine laugh leaving Astarion and the look of joy on his face before he turned around and gutted another three of their attackers with an effortless strike. 

It was only now that she understood just how much his hunger and his desire to conceal his true nature had held him back. How much he had hidden away before. The sheer display of power sent a shiver down her back, and once again, Kara couldn’t help but be thrown out of her element by how very different things out in the wilderness were from what she was used to at home, where no man would ever dare to display power like this. 

When the fight was over, the damage assessed, and they had continued on their way, something in her felt restless. For a little while, she just walked quietly next to Astarion, a little bit behind Gale and Shadowheart, who were engrossed in a discussion about the more delicate parts of restorative magic. When the strange tension inside Kara didn’t lessen, she slowed her steps a little to widen the distance between them before she turned to Astarion.

“When you fought,” Kara started slowly, “earlier, I mean…”

An almost sheepish look came onto Astarion’s face. “I may have gone a bit overboard there, I admit,” he said carefully. 

Kara let out a deep breath before she shook her head. “No, I wasn’t complaining. I was just…” For a brief moment, she faltered, not quite sure if she wanted to admit just how she felt about it openly. But the uncertain look on his face made the decision for her. “It was rather exciting to watch,” she finally admitted. “I don’t think I expected any of this, which I guess I should have, in hindsight.”

“Exciting?” he asked. Something on his face brightened and a grin spread over his face. “Well, in that case, I regret nothing.” With a knowing look, he swayed a bit closer while walking. “You know, if you enjoy watching that, I certainly have some tricks up my sleeves. I could always aim to make it even more _exciting_ for you.”

His hand brushed along her side, and Kara spluttered as a bolt of heat went through her. Her cheeks felt hot as she swallowed, for a moment at a loss for words.

“Ah, come on,” Astarion edged her on. “From what I know about Drow society, you are not squeamish about much. Aren’t gratuitous displays of violence almost something like a courtship ritual?”

Kara snorted and shook her head in disbelief at his blunt implications. “They are,” she admitted, “but for _women_. Men… don’t do anything like that. And none would dare...” A sudden look of understanding appeared on Astarion’s face as she trailed off. 

“Right,” he murmured, his eyes still fixed on her. “You mentioned a while ago that before all this, you had never left the Underdark.” When Kara only nodded in agreement, Astarion’s look turned more thoughtful. “I knew about that in theory, of course, but I must admit I tend to forget that everything here must be a bit of a cultural shock for you sometimes.”

With a lopsided smile, Kara shrugged. “Some things more than others,” she admitted. “There has been decidedly less ruthless backstabbing and threats of outright murder so far”

A soft chuckle left Astarion. “Clearly, that should count as a positive thing, though, right? If only for people being more subtle with their killing every now and then.”

The absolute irony of him talking about subtle killing with a pleasant smile on his face after the very public display earlier sent another laugh through Kara. “Definitely. And the sunlight is rather nice, I have to say,” she added with a glance at the beams of light that broke through the small openings between the leaves above their head.

“It is, isn’t it?” Astarion agreed with a sigh. There was something wistful in his voice as he spoke. “I had forgotten just how beautiful the sun is. It wasn’t something I thought I’d ever see again.” 

Kara could only imagine what that must have felt like. To grow up and be used to such a marvelous thing only to have it taken away for centuries. For herself, it had only been a little bit over a month since she had first seen a sunrise, and even after this short time, something in her twisted painfully at the thought of having to leave such a pure thing of beauty behind one day when she would have to inevitably return underground. 

“When we escaped that ship, down on the beach, it was the very first time I saw it,” Kara murmured quietly. “Everything was so bright; part of me still feels like it should hurt my eyes somehow,” she added before she smiled softly. “I am glad it doesn’t, though.”

They kept walking, slowly catching up with the rest of their group when she spoke again. “I guess cultural shock sounds about right. There are still so many things that I am not really used to,” she admitted, watching the other two argue in the distance. Kara couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Gale was gesticulating widely, waving his arms around to make his point while Shadowheart stood unmoving, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. “Men certainly behave very differently above ground,” she added to her earlier point.

Beside her, Astarion chuckled again. “Are you getting homesick? Missing all the docile men being thrown at your feet?” The way he raised his eyebrow at her caused her to both blush and let out an amused laugh.

“That is the last thing I miss,” Kara said between chuckles. 

“Really now?” There was a hint of teasing in his voice as he casually leaned closer, waving his hand with an exaggerated flourish. “You don’t miss getting to pick whoever suited your fancy and have them heed your every command whenever you feel like it? It sounds so convenient….”

“I never…” Her throat suddenly dry, Kara trailed off, looking decidedly in the other direction until she felt the heat in her cheeks subside a bit. When she turned back, a curious look was on Astarion’s face. “I was never actually interested in any of that,” Kara finally admitted, biting her lower lip in a fit of unease. When he raised his eyebrows again, obviously about to ask a question, she hurried to add, “It’s not that I am inexperienced. I’ve had my share of bedpartners; they just have all been women so far.”

With a shrug, Astarion grinned at her. “There is nothing wrong with having a preference.”

“I know,” Kara murmured. “But I don’t even know if I actually have one? A preference, I mean. At least not for a specific gender. It’s just…” With a soft sigh, she trailed off, taking a deep breath before shaking her head at her sudden clumsiness with words. “This shouldn’t be this embarrassing to talk about.”

Astarion’s eyebrow rose as he gave her a curious look. “I can’t say I am not dying of curiosity, but you don’t have to…” he started, only for Kara to interrupt him with a sudden burst of urgency.

“Yes, I do,” she insisted. “Because I absolutely meant it when I asked you for a repeat of last night. It’s just-” She took another deep breath, deciding to ignore her unease and her insecurities for the sake of hopefully making him understand. Her voice found a little bit of its usual firmness again when she started to explain, “I like certain things in a partner. Assertion, aggressiveness, strength. Among other things.” With her decision to be as clear and direct as possible came a return of her usual self-assuredness. “I don’t want to be hurt unnecessarily much, but you may have noticed that I don’t mind a certain amount of, well, non-gentleness,” she added, sounding much more like herself again. “And that is not something I could have gotten from a man back home, obviously. So women were the only ones I ever slept with.” When Kara saw his eyes light up in understanding, a smile formed on her face. “But men here are very… different,” she noted, her eyes wandering over to where Gale was still passionately arguing some point before they settled back onto Astarion. “ _You_ in particular.”

The corner of his mouth lifted up into what looked like a genuine smile, and Kara was almost taken aback by how subtly but noticeably different it looked from the way he usually grinned at her. “Well,” Astarion said with an amused voice, “I’ll certainly won’t be crawling in the dirt for you. Nor will I listen to your commands.” With a wink, he added, “Outside of combat, that is, of course. I might be persuaded to follow orders if there is a tactical advantage.”

Despite the humor, Kara could hear the genuine sentiment behind his words. “That’s a relief,” she said with a smile, only for his own to turn into a devious grin once more.

“Relief is certainly a goal…” Astarion murmured, once again swaying a bit closer to her.

With a burst of laughter, Kara playfully swatted at his chest. “You are the worst!” 

Astarion hummed in agreement, raising an eyebrow as he jovially slung an arm around her shoulder. “And you just explained, rather adorably, that you really appreciate that.”

With another fit of laughter, they caught up with the rest of their group, barely rescuing an overly enthusiastic Gale from the scathing remarks Shadowheart was ready to unleash about his needlessly flashy use of magic. 

When they stumbled over the large Goblin camp they had been looking for, Kara scolded herself quietly when she realized that one of her first thoughts had been a renewed bout of anticipation for a fight. Not because she desperately wanted to rid the world of some more Goblins. If she was honest with herself, she cared surprisingly little about either side in this conflict. No, the part of her that was excited about their next fight was so purely out of the desire to watch Astarion in his element again. 

But fate did not want to oblige her today, it seemed, when the Goblins took one look at the color of her skin and nearly fell over themselves in an attempt to curry favor—inviting them into their encampment with promises of obedience. Not for the first time in the past few days, someone mistook her for a servant of the ominous ‘Absolute’ - a deception all of them had encouraged going along with. But with these Goblins having actual leadership around, it would only be a matter of time until someone would ask them a question they could not answer properly without giving their own lack of knowledge away, as Shadowheart pointed out in a quiet moment. They would have to find out the location of the man they were trying to save, the one who might help them with their little tadpole issue, quickly and without rousing too much suspicion.

Stumbling upon a priest of Loviatar amid the ruins the goblins claimed for themselves was another unexpected turn of events. Especially when it turned out he was all too willing to talk to some fellow people who were decidedly not Goblins for a change. Kara knew little about how the other gods that weren’t Loth were worshipped, but in hindsight, the looks on her companion’s faces should have been a warning sign. When the priest offered her a blessing of his goddess and some information in exchange for what he called ‘an offering of pain,’ Kara found herself agreeing without much thought. Memories of home, of ritual combat, and displays of strength went through her mind.

It was only when he asked her to pick the fitting tool for the offering and wasn’t handing her the knife she picked but prompted her to take her place against the wall that Kara realized what the worship of this particular goddess entailed. For a brief moment, she considered going back on her word. Information could be gathered anywhere after all. Gale had an open look of worry on his face, making her almost falter, but as her eyes wandered over to the other two, Kara was surprised by the openly curious and almost excited look on Shadowheart’s face. The other woman was definitely not looking worried for her at all. Briefly, Kara wondered if she should feel insulted by that, but to her surprise, it had a rather calming effect on her. And Astarion…

Astarion looked intrigued. A flippant comment about this certainly being wonderful to watch sounded nothing but light-hearted, but there was something underneath, something Kara could also see shimmering in his eyes that didn’t match his tone and behavior at all. It was too vague for her to put a word to, and when she tore herself out of her thoughts she noticed that the priest had gotten ready to start. 

Her own unease wasn’t gone, but it was pushed aside by a strange sense of curiosity, and with a shrug, she turned, unbuttoning her shirt and pulling it off, throwing it casually onto the table to the side. A moment later, her breastband followed, and Kara drew her hair together and over her shoulder, leaving her back free. A small cough from Shadoheart got her attention, and as she looked back over her shoulder, she saw the other woman giving her a questioning look.

“What?” Kara asked with a shrug. “There is absolutely no reason to ruin a perfectly good set of clothes by cutting through them.”

The smile on the priest’s face widened as he took a step closer. “It is always a joy to see someone commit so fully,” he said before motioning towards the wall again. “Now, shall we?”

It was all the prompt she needed to get into the position he indicated, leaning against the wall with her back towards the room, resting her head on her arms. When the first cut came, Kara hissed under her breath, trying not to let anything show, but it took her only a few moments and a small, disappointed sigh from behind her to suspect that this was not the point of the exercise.

Back home, she would have been expected to stay quiet. To be stoic and unmoving and not let anything show. But Loviatar was a goddess of pain. Of suffering. And what the priest wanted her to offer wasn’t a display of strength, Kara realized. When the knife went over her back again, cutting deeper than before, Kara had to fight herself for a moment to overcome her instinct to keep still at all costs. Instead, she did something that she never would have thought possible; she let herself flinch at the cut, a pained yell spilling over her lips. 

The instant change of mood in the room that came with the priest’s enthusiastic encouragement told her it had been the exact right thing to do. In truth, the cuts didn’t even hurt enough to warrant loud exclamations, but those seemed to be exactly what he was looking for. And so, for the next few minutes, Kara let herself whine and scream and twist underneath the knife that went deeper and deeper into her flesh, drawing blood with each cut. She was dimly aware of the appreciative comments Shadowheart and Astarion made behind her, mixing with the joyful exclamations the priest added about the beauty of her suffering. All while her body shook and her mind raced with the knowledge that a single instance of behavior like this at home would have probably meant her instant death. 

When he cut her for the last time, murmuring a prayer to his goddess as he dragged the knife down, Kara was surprised at how different the pain surging through her felt from what she was used to. Pain was punishment. Degradation. A test. And a cry like the one that left her throat, the tears rolling down her cheeks she didn’t bother to repress, they were supposed to be a sign of weakness—an open invitation to end her on the spot. Yet right at this moment, they felt like something else: defiance and a strange, twisted, sense of freedom.

When the priest finally stepped away, indicating that the offering was at an end, Kara had to fight down an inappropriate burst of laughter at the utter ridiculousness of the whole situation. She had done something everyone at home would gladly kill her for. And somehow, it had been a good thing, she realized as the priest not only blessed her but volunteered quite a few bits of information that would definitely bring them closer to their goal.

Kara wasn’t sure just how she managed to find her way back into herself, but after a few more moments of praise about her willingness to indulge him, she thanked him politely for his help as she carefully put her clothes back on. Moving her arms too much sent renewed flashes of pain down her back, and Kara knew that she should ask Shadowheart to heal the injuries as soon as possible. Preferably once they were out of sight and further away from this particular place, though. She had no idea what the etiquette was in such a situation, but after how helpful he had been in the end, Kara definitely did not want to risk offending the priest.

As soon as they were out of earshot after saying their goodbyes and leaving the priest to his own devices, Astarion leaned closer with an approving hum. “You gave him quite a show,” he murmured, making it obvious he had seen through her little act.

“He required one,” Kara answered with a simple shrug. There was no need to hide the truth from her companions, after all.

“He certainly appreciated it,” Astarion agreed before a thoughtful look appeared on his face. “The pain didn’t actually seem to bother you that much.”

Again, Kara could only shrug, and with a dismissive voice, she muttered, “I’ve had worse…”

“Did you now?” There was something calculating in his voice all of a sudden as he leaned even closer. “I am curious, underneath all the fake begging for mercy, did you enjoy any of that?”

The question made Kara pause for a moment as she tried to find an answer for herself. Further ahead, Shadowheart and Gale were both busy trying to work out a way to get to where the Druid they were supposed to rescue was held without arousing suspicion. Kara stopped walking, letting the distance between them grow before she turned back to Astarion. “It was… certainly interesting,” she admitted. 

It hadn’t been her first time being on the receiving end of such methods. But it had certainly differed from all the times she had found herself beaten bloody as a form of punishment whenever she had failed to live up to the expectations set for her. And not just in the way she had acted. This time, there had been no cruel laughter, no cutting words burning hotter than the welts on her back did. No one spitting at her, telling her she wasn’t worth the time and effort it took to swing a whip at her. Telling her how she wasn’t strong, ambitious, or ruthless enough. No one calling her a failure or an embarrassment to her kind. 

On the contrary. 

Every bit of pain the priest had inflicted on her had come with a strange sense of reverence. Of genuine appreciation for her willing submission to his hand. Each cut and each subsequent cry of hers had been met with praise and appreciation. She could feel her back protest in pain with every move she made, but Kara didn’t feel beaten down or exhausted. Instead, there was a strange sort of energy humming through her. But still,‘ enjoyment’ felt like the wrong word.

“It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t say I had a good time either,” she finally added. “More like something in between?” At Astarion’s curious look, she swallowed briefly, unsure just how to explain that something like this had felt close to a revelation to her. A new piece about herself she couldn’t quite place yet. With a shrug that Kara hoped didn’t look as helpless as it felt to her, she tried to steer the topic away from her inner turmoil. “I think, if I am to actually 'enjoy’ a certain amount of pain, it needs to have something else added into the mix,” she said in a much firmer voice, putting on a more daring bravado she only partly felt as she sent Astarion a telling look. “On its own, just for the pain’s sake, it’s almost a bit boring.” 

He let out an amused huff. “And yet you made it so entertaining.”

“Well, it would hardly be a sacrifice to the Lady of Pain if I didn’t suffer appropriately, would it?” Kara said with a grin, settling back into her usual confidence. But Astarion didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“So there was nothing at all enjoyable?” he murmured as he leaned closer into her space once more. “Because you do have that glint in your eyes…”

A hint of annoyance went through her at his ability to read her so easily, but Kara swallowed it down, together with any lingering embarrassment. “Alright, maybe a little bit,” she confessed. After all, she had been rather open with him so far. This would hardly surprise him. Certainly not after how she had behaved the night before. It would be easy to make what happened about something like that. “It’s complicated,” she added with a sigh. “Can we, for now, just say it was because I briefly imagined all of this tension in there potentially leading to a decidedly different conclusion?” Kara asked with a meaningful look.

A flicker of understanding lit up in Astarion’s eyes, telling her that he was well aware that there was more to this than she was willing to admit. But for once, he seemed to be too polite to mention it, and instead, after a brief pause, he let out a delighted laugh that managed to sound both deliberate and genuine at the same time. “Alas, the dear man seemed wholly uninterested in anything that wasn’t cutting or slicing or whipping,” Astarion lamented with a little shake of his head. “Oh, what a show that would have been.” Something in his eyes shifted ever so slightly and the sudden spark in them sent a shiver down Kara’s back. “Luckily, my dear, the day is far from over.” Before Kara could react, he had closed the distance between them, and she could feel his breath ghost over her ear as he inhaled deeply. “You smell of blood and tears and pain, and is a most delicious combination.” 

Kara noticed the soft growl underlying his voice, and for a moment, the fact that they were in the broken down ruins of a temple overrun by goblins was somehow completely unimportant.

“Let me guess,” she said, a small shiver in her voice. “It is rousing your appetite?”

Astarion’s soft laugh rang between them before his lips traced along the line of her ear and towards the tip. “Oh, you do that on a completely boring day with absolutely no extraordinary incidents necessary,” he whispered hotly against her skin. “This, meanwhile…” For a second, he seemed to pause and think before his hand clasped around her upper arm and nudged her along. Kara was already following before she could think better of it, and a moment later, she found herself dragged around a corner and into an empty side-room. 

“What-” was all she got out before a finger pressed down on her lips, accompanied by a gentle shushing sound. Astarion’s eyes raked over her, and he took a deep breath before languidly licking his lips. Mesmerized, Kara’s gaze followed the path of his tongue, being so engrossed in its movement that it took her a moment to realize his hands were roaming over her clothes. A moment later, he loosened some strings and pulled her shirt open wide enough so he could drag it down her shoulders. 

Slowly, deliberately, Astarion reached for her arm before he pointedly turned her around, crowding her against the cold stone wall, its harsh texture against her skin almost distracting her from the feeling of Astarion’s soft lips on her back. When his tongue darted out, licking a stripe along one of the cuts that had been freshly carved into her back not too long ago, Kara shivered at the combined sensation of pain and excitement. From the low, satisfied sounding hum he made against her skin, she knew that the cuts hadn’t stopped bleeding yet. 

“Exquisite,” Astarion murmured as his hands ran over her naked shoulders. “You make me want to devour you.”

Only with great effort did Kara manage to hold back an indecently loud moan as his words sent fire through her veins. Part of her knew they should have a much longer and much more involved talk about what was going on between them. But another, far louder part, didn’t care in the least. That part only remembered the ecstasy she had felt last night. The sensation of almost floating in his embrace, his every touch giving her nothing but pleasure while all she had to do was let go and let him take over. “Promises,” Kara mumbled, and without conscious thought, she tilted her head enough to bear her neck.

Behind her, Astarion took in a sharp breath. “Oh, you desperately want me to, don’t you?” His voice had gotten rougher as his lips moved up her shoulder until he suddenly licked a broad stripe over her neck. “And despite all the disapproval you’ve seen this morning even…” He sounded absolutely delighted at that. “Though I guess we could try to keep this a secret.”

There was something off in his last words, but before Kara could make proper sense of it, another thought was on her mind, and she shook her head lightly. “Impossible. Either they see the fresh bite, or they notice my newfound love for scarves; they’re not stupid.” Secrecy wasn’t an option. Especially not after everyone in camp had been there for their discussion this morning. “They’ll know,” she murmured before her voice got firmer again. “But I don’t care what they think!”

“Liar!” Astarion whispered against her ear. “You care. Quite a lot, I would say.” Before Kara could protest, he let out a laugh that was full of disbelief, but there was a clear sense of deep satisfaction running through his voice as he went on, “And still, you’re willing to risk their disapproval for this...” His fingers tightened around her shoulders for a moment before he sighed almost longingly. He drew her closer against his chest, and Kara’s eyes fluttered shut, her breath going faster as she felt a hint of teeth scratching teasingly over the soft skin of her neck. “You know,” Astarion murmured, letting one of his hands slide lower, cupping her breast and teasing it through the fabric of her shirt, while his other hand trailed down her arm, clasping around her wrist as his thumb came to rest on the point of her pulse. “I could always bite you somewhere else. Somewhere you can more easily hide.”

Kara blinked in confusion, her senses muddled by the sensations of his touch as she tried to follow him. “Like my arm, for instance?”

“Certainly,” Astarion said with a disapproving click of his tongue. “if you want to be all boring about it.” Slowly, his hands wandered down further, fingers trailing playfully over her stomach. He let go of her wrist to grab her hip, pushing her closer against him as his other hand went lower, teasingly running over the inside of her thigh. “May I suggest something far more adventurous instead?” he murmured lowly against her ear, and at his insinuation, Kara’s breath got stuck in her throat.

“You are utterly devious!” she got out with a shudder in her voice as she let her head rest against his shoulder. A tremor of excitement running through her entire body.

“And you are shivering with arousal at the mere thought,” Astarion mused, before letting his teeth scrape over her skin again. “I think we match quite well, you and I.” 

When he put down just a little bit more pressure, not yet breaking skin but close enough to send a sharp sting through her, Kara was ready to rip off the clothes that stood between them in a heartbeat. With a sharp twist, she turned around, slinging her arms around his neck and dragging him closer until their breaths mingled. A sudden realization washed over her, that for all they had done and how close they had gotten they hadn’t even shared something as simple as a kiss yet. 

But now, his lips were hovering close to hers, and Kara felt a nearly overpowering need to close that gap. To finally know just what his mouth would feel like on hers. To finally have a taste. The tension between them was almost unbearably thick as she slowly moved closer.

“Are you two quite done? We would really like to leave this place!” 

Shadowheart’s voice resonated loudly through the room, making both of them flinch and instantly draw apart. Astarion blinked twice as if he had trouble finding his bearings before his usual look of slightly smug amusement settled back onto his face, snapping into place like a mask. 

Kara took a deep breath before she, too, managed to look like nothing of importance had happened before she called back, “On our way!”

“Great,” came Shadowheart’s reply from the doorway. “We think we found what we were looking for, and we should head back to camp. We’re gonna need the others’ help for this.” And with no further ado, she turned to leave.

Astarion gave Kara a measured look before motioning for her to follow. “Just as well,” he said with a light-hearted tone. “Our choice of location for anything more interesting could be improved upon, after all.” 

While part of her was cursing the interruption, there was a sense of relief running through Kara at the way he talked so casually about what had just nearly happened between them. He certainly didn’t look upset about their almost-kiss and it set a worry inside her at ease she hadn’t even been aware of before. “First, you don’t like camping, and now a goblin-infested ruin isn’t to your taste? Color me shocked!” Kara teased, laughing at the indignant face he pulled, and with a complex mix of feelings but an overall lightness in her step, she followed her companions outside, knowing she would have a lot to think about on her way to camp.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have one more chapter just in time for the end of the year, and hopefully, have a great new year's! ❤

The water was cold on her skin, but Kara didn’t mind. After a brief pause at camp, she had made her way down the small river they settled next to, a towel and fresh clothes over her arm as she walked out of reach and out of earshot of the noises of their campsite. After finding a decent spot to lay her clothes down, she quickly stipped out of her worn ones, eager to get rid of all the dirt and the grime that a trip through a goblin-filled temple brought with it.

The last bit of warmth of the slowly sinking sun made the cold of the stream even more pronounced. It was another thing in the ongoing tapestry of tiny details that felt so different from her home. While the water in the Underdark was never warmed up by prolonged exposure to the sun like the one or other lake she had encountered above ground did, the tendency of her people to build their settlements around naturally occurring sources of warmth had made sure that water for bathing and washing came almost exclusively out of a nearby hot spring.

Washing in water that was as cold as the biting morning winds could be was definitely another thing Kara was still getting used to. Yet, like so many other details, she found the difference more fascinating than off-putting. The slight discomfort of being cold was nothing compared to the reassurance Kara got from the feeling that she truly was far, far away from everything she knew. She would even go so far as to say it was soothing in a way. 

Weighing her options, Kara eyed the cold water briefly before she decided to ignore her sensibilities and dove under. It was the quickest way to get all the dust and smoke smells out of her hair after all. Just as expected, with her head underwater, the cold was even more pronounced, making her shiver for a moment before she, with held breath, let her fingers run through her hair. She kept at it as long as she could before a slight burning feeling spread in her lungs, forcing her to push through the water’s surface again.

When she shook her head, sending her hair flying as she got the water out of her ears, Kara heard a noise from the near shore. Standing waist-deep in the middle of the stream, she looked over her shoulder to find Astarion watching her with unveiled interest.

“Enjoying the view?” Kara said with an amused grin before she drew her still dripping hair over her shoulder. A small chuckle left Astarion as he leaned against a large rock formation, blatantly letting his eyes wander.

“That you even have to ask that, darling.” He shook his head slightly, exaggerating a sigh. “Let me ask you in turn, how could I not?”

Kara felt a hint of goosebumps running over her skin that had nothing to do with the cold water and everything with the way his eyes kept roaming over her body. This thing between them was still new. Fragile and unpredictable. But if Kara had to guess, she would assume she’d never get tired of just how much his openly displayed desire for her made her heart beat faster. She felt his eyes linger on her now once again smooth and mostly unblemished back.

“Shadowheart healed my injuries,” she explained the absence of the cuts and bruises she had collected earlier that day.

Astarion let out a dramatic sigh. “Pity!” he murmured. “I found them rather fetching.”

A tingle of excitement went through her as she remembered just how intrigued he had been earlier. Feeling daring, all of a sudden, she poured some more water over her shoulders, making a show of running her hands over her own skin.

“I could always invite you to help me make new ones.”

She could see how her blatant tease only fuelled the heat in his look, but Astarion didn’t move a muscle; he just kept fixing her with the same burning gaze.

“Tempting!” he said, slowly licking his lips. Kara could see a faint hint of teeth in his smile as his expression darkened. “After your little display earlier, I am eager to believe that you might enjoy that just as much as I would.”

Kara’s stomach leaped at his words, a warm sensation of growing desire spreading through her as she swallowed at his rather direct answer and the as of yet confusing way it made her feel. Quickly, she covered said confusion with a wide grin as she gestured around her. “I was about to say come over here and find out, but…”

At that, Astarion let out a carefree laugh. “Devious little minx. You want me to prove to you just how much I want you by making me cross running water?” There was genuine amusement behind his words, but Kara sensed something else as well. A barely disguised weariness he didn’t quite manage to hide.

“No, I wouldn’t,” she said firmly, not leaving any doubt about having meant her earlier words as nothing but a joke. “The water thing, I mean,” she added to explain. 

From what little she knew about Astarion so far, she was certain she did not want to give him the wrong impression when it came to certain things. Especially something like putting him through pain for her amusement. The thought alone woke unbidden images of home, sending a shiver of disgust through her. But to her relief, Astarion seemed to relax at her answer, his eyes back to watching her every move. A small smile spread over Kara’s lips as she turned around fully and slowly continued to wash. 

“But if you still have enough patience to wait until I finish my bath,” she said with a teasing note, “I might just save you the trouble.”

Another chuckle rang from the shore across the water, and the earlier heat was clearly visible on Astarion’s face again as he let his eyes wander over her exposed breasts.

“By all means, I have all night, and I am certainly not opposed to watching you running your hands all over your naked skin.” There was a low rumble in his voice, conveying his appreciation just as obvious as his eyes did. “Why, I can scarcely think of any better kind of entertainment.”

“You like to watch then?” Kara asked playfully as she let more water run down her body before following the droplet with her fingers. She had been basically done with washing the moment Astarion had appeared, but the situation was far too interesting not to draw it out just a little bit longer.

“I like to… _indulge_ ,” Astarion said slowly, his eyebrows raising appreciatively as Kara lazily cupped both her breasts, making a show of teasing her already hardened nipples with a sigh. “You certainly don’t mind being on display,” he added in a low voice. 

Kara let one of her hands wander down, sliding over her stomach and towards the water as she shot him an amused look. “Is there a question somewhere in there?”

“Just wondering what else you would let me watch, that is all,” he said, sounding nearly dismissive, but something in his voice made her confident the question was genuine.

“That depends on how nicely you ask,” she replied smoothly, and the sudden glint of interest in his eyes held something promising. Suddenly Kara had enough of her own teasing, deciding that this dance had gone on long enough. 

“I think I am done here,” she declared with a satisfied nod before she slowly started to make her way out of the water.

Astarion remained where he was, but his eyes turned hungrier with every second as she rose from the water the further she got to the shore. When she was almost out of the water, Astarion finally moved, picking up the large towel she had brought from her pile of clothes. He could have met her halfway, making the few steps to the shore, but Kara could see a hint of mirth in his smile as he very deliberately took a step back. He wanted her to come to him, and he was blatantly enjoying watching her every step.

When she was just in reach, Astarion unfolded the towel before wrapping it around her shoulders. With a firm grip on both ends, he drew her closer until she was pressed against him, not caring about the drops of water on her skin seeping into his clothes. Without much thought, she buried her hands into his hair, marveling at the softness as she ran her fingers through his curls. Astarion’s hair always looked so meticulously styled, and all of a sudden, Kara felt the urge to mess it up. To, for once, have him look as affected by what they did as she tended to be in his presence.

“I’m afraid I can’t guarantee that our entire camp won’t immediately know what happened when they see you after this,” she whispered, accompanied by a playful grin. 

For a moment, Astarion drew back, a deep look of satisfaction on his face as he purred, “My dear, that’s a consequence I’ll gladly accept.” 

Kara gasped in anticipation as he dipped his head, his lips brushing away the remaining water droplets on her neck before she felt a hint of his fangs run teasingly over her skin.

“Mhm,” Astarion murmured against her, “I, in turn, am afraid I can’t guarantee that you won’t need another bath after I’m through with you.” 

At his teasing, playful tone, Kara let out a chuckle between her gasps. One of her hands came to rest on his shoulder, steadying herself against him. 

“That’s a risk I am willing to take,” she murmured, tilting her head to give him better access. With a pleased hum, Astarion let his fangs scrape along the sensitive skin of her throat again, nipping her skin ever so slightly. 

“Anything else you feel risky about?” he asked, his voice low and filled with promise. Kara shivered against him, and her breath got stuck in her throat for a moment as she remembered their encounter earlier that day. How he had crowded her against the stone wall and the things he had whispered in her ear. The thoughts alone were almost enough to make her knees buckle from arousal.

“Well,” Kara said breathlessly, “you offered to bite me again, but in a more inconspicuous location, if I remember correctly?”

“Darling, you know just what to say to get my blood boiling.” Astarion flashed her a devious smile as he suddenly drew back, taking the towel off her shoulders before spreading it out on the ground. Without any hesitation or subtlety, he reached for her, gently nudging her down until she found herself spread out underneath him. 

The sun had fully gone down by now, leaving the shore around them only sparsely illuminated by a hint of moonlight. But though the hue of colors around them changed, the darkness didn’t bother Kara at all. She could see the glint of desire in Astarion’s eyes, could see every subtle movement on his face as clear as if it was still daylight. 

And subtle they were, the expressions he so obviously tried to rein in. Astarion was a good actor; she had to give him that. If the last two days hadn’t happened, Kara would have overlooked certain things without ever being the wiser for it. Despite her earlier eagerness, he seemed to be hesitant to let the pure hunger she could feel, simmering beneath the surface, show through his mask of casual banter. Just like his feather-light light touches were full of tension. A slight tremor, barely visible, betraying just how much he was trying to control some of his baser instincts. 

All Kara could think about were ways of trying to make him abandon said control. A soft moan spilled over her lips at the mere thought of what it might look like if Astarion truly let go.

Just as the darkness didn’t hide any of his secrets from her keen eyes, the same was obviously true for him. He looked at Kara with a mix of curiosity and unveiled desire as he leaned over her, his lips hovering dangerously close above hers.

“Look at you, all willing and oh so eager for me,” he murmured lowly, his smile widening until it showed teeth before he demonstratively licked his lips. “You’re a feast, and not just for the eyes…”

Kara felt the desire in her raging. “Am I to be devoured then?” 

She reached out to pull him closer, but Astarion didn’t budge. His eyes were locked with hers as he took her wrist, and pointedly pushed her arm down until her hand rested on the floor next to her head. With a brief squeeze, he made it clear that she was supposed to keep it there before he repeated the motion with her other hand.

“All in good time.” Astarion’s voice was teasing again as he raised his eyebrows. “Patience brings you a long way.”

“Pff,” Kara huffed in amusement. “Please! You are _never_ patient…” But despite her disagreeing tone, she didn’t move, waiting expectantly to find out what he had planned next.

Astarion chuckled lightly. “Admittedly, I am not. Not often, at least.” He leaned closer again, not actually touching her anywhere but where she could feel some of his clothes brush lightly against her skin. “But I can be, on occasion,” he continued smoothly. “If it is worth my while.” 

He was so close, Kara could feel his breath on her face. Everything in her urged to push herself up and cover his lips with her own. Or to ignore where he deliberately placed her hands and reach for him once more. She held her breath as he swayed slightly closer, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as she waited for him to cross that last bit of distance between them. Only to open again when she felt him shift above her, leaning back with a grin.

“Having you reduced to a needy, quivering mess without even touching you yet definitely is.” 

There was an infuriatingly self-satisfied grin on Astarion’s face as Kara let out a frustrated moan. “I am not needy,” she insisted.

Despite her words, she could barely refrain from reaching for him again. Something about this whole situation made it almost impossible for Kara to control herself until a small voice in her head reminded her that this was precisely what she had wanted, after all. She _wanted_ to not be in charge for once. To not have to take the lead. Wanted someone who didn’t immediately jump to her every whim. Someone who had their own agenda and did what they wanted, not what she ordered them to do. Someone exactly like him. A shudder of delight went through her at the realization, and she relaxed almost immediately, her whole body losing some of its tension as Kara decided to just go with wherever he may lead and not worry about anything else for now.

Astarion seemed to notice her new-found ease nearly instantly, and his smile widened. His eyes held a spark of glee as he traced his fingertips gently along her collarbone with another feather-light touch.

“There is a yearning inside you that you can barely contain,” he murmured, his voice filled to the brim with what sounded like awe and fascination. “You want to be seen. You want to be tasted, to be known.” Astarion’s fingers trailed down between her breasts, hovering over her furiously beating heart as he gave her a knowing look. “You desperately want someone to see you for who you really are.”

Kara’s first instinct was denial. What he said sounded far too real, too intimate, and most of all, too true for comfort. But there was something in the way he said it that gave her pause. The uncanny feeling that he wasn’t just talking about her. Going out on a limb, Kara fixed him with a look that was half daring and half question. 

“Don’t we all?”

For a moment, Astarion was perfectly still. In the faint shine of the moon, his unmoving features looked almost unnatural. Briefly, Kara wondered if she had prodded too far. If he would laugh at her in deflection at any second now, or worse if he would withdraw completely. But something in his eyes shifted, and he gave her a barely visible nod.

“That might just be true for both of us,” he admitted, sounding softer than Kara had ever heard him before as he gave her a pointed look. “There is always the risk of letting others see something they might not like…”

Kara swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat. Whatever she had expected from this encounter, it certainly hadn’t been this. Not this level of unexpected honesty, nor the sudden fragility that seemed to weave an entirely new connection between them. A tentative bridge, daring her to cross it without knowing what exactly lay on the other side. 

“There is always that,” she quietly agreed. “I guess then the question is, do you truly want to see?”

Kara knew _she_ desperately wanted to. From the moment they had met, Astarion had fascinated her. Had made her laugh with his grand words, making her feel less out of place with all his exaggerations of his own distaste for their surroundings. He had drawn her in with tales of faraway places and strange customs, and every now and then, there had been a hint of something more underneath his practiced ease and immaculate veneer. Something genuine to his interest, something that felt real. The same _‘more’_ she thought she could see in his eyes just now. 

A small growl left Astarion’s mouth as his hand slipped up along her neck, cupping her face as his eyes burned into hers.

“I want much, much more than to simply see,” he said, heatedly, before tilting her head to the side. A second later, his lips ran over her throat again, leaving soft kisses all over her skin. “I want to know every fiber of your being, taste every inch of you, learn every part of your body like the most thorough lover would.” 

Words murmured against her flesh seeped into her skin as his hands joined in, finally touching her, pushing up her breasts until he could close his lips around a nipple and tease it gently with his teeth. Kara shuddered as a moan shook through her. Her hands twitched, insistent on no longer staying passive, but a moment later, her movement was halted by a click of his tongue. 

“Stay as you are,” Astarion murmured quietly but firm. “Let me _see_ you as you are.” His teeth scratched over the sensitive skin on her breasts, sending another shiver through her. “Let me take my time to discover all the secrets your body holds,” he continued as his hands roamed down along her waist. “Let me bring you to the heights of pleasure on the brink of ruin.” He nipped at the skin on her hip, just a tad too sharp to be entirely pleasurable, but it still got her blood singing with anticipation. “And when I have you there,” he added with another growl, “I will sink my fangs into you and drink deep.” His low rumble sounded almost animalistic as his grip on her tightened. “I want all that you have to give, and when I have you shaking against my mouth in both pleasure and pain, I will _take_ it.”

Kara’s breath hitched from the sudden fierceness behind his words. A whispered _“Please…”_ leaving her mouth as Astarion pushed her thighs apart and lost no time settling between them, running a trail of small bites and kisses along the inside straight to her core.

He had said that he wanted to taste her, and it was clear that he had meant in more ways than one. His fingers slipped through her folds, coating themselves in her wetness as he spread her apart for his mouth to follow. The first flick of his tongue against her clit nearly had her wailing with pent up tension and need.

“Astarion…” She barely got his name out as another moan spilled over her lips. His tongue dipped inside her, tasting her just like he had promised, all while his fingers dug into her hips to keep her still underneath him. He paused briefly, looking up at her from in between her legs with a sly smile.

“I rather enjoy hearing you beg for me, so please, do go on, my dear.”

A small part of Kara wanted to protest, wanted to wipe that smug expression off his face, but the desire raging through her smothered the feeling instantly. Her pride seemed rather unimportant next to the prospect of pleasure he promised to give her.

“Please, Astarion,” she whispered without further hesitation. “Please…”

His smile widened briefly before he licked a broad stripe over her quivering center. “Every part of you is simply delicious,” he murmured before he seemed to abandon all thoughts of pacing himself and buried his face against her folds, sucking and licking her with an intensity that knocked all the air out of Kara. Like he had been starving for her, and her alone. 

Astarion’s hands wandered to her thighs, pushing them apart a bit further, spreading her open for him before he trailed his fingers along her entrance, teasing her with light touches. When two of his fingers finally pushed inside her wet heat, Kara’s self-restraint snapped, and with a loud moan, her hands dug themselves into his hair, tugging on strands of it as she ground her hips against his unrelenting mouth.

His reaction was a delighted moan that she could feel against her as much as she could hear it, and Kara’s eyes fluttered shut as she got overwhelmed by the feeling of his fingers pushing in and out of her in a slowly increasing rhythm. With every push, Astarion curled them just right, pressing against that spot inside her that had her shaking with need.

When his lips suddenly left her, Kara was ready to beg again before his raspy voice came soothingly. “Shhh, I am not stopping,” he murmured, and a moment later, she felt his thumb circling her clit, picking up right where his tongue had left off. Astarion’s lips were on her thigh again as he shifted slightly, his other hand grabbing her leg in a firm grip.

“I believe I promised you something else,” he added, and just like that, she felt his teeth. 

Close to her center, on the inside of her thigh, she felt them teasingly scratch over her skin before the cold, thrilling sensation of his bite shook through her body as he sank his fangs into her leg. She twitched underneath him as the sharp sting of pain shook through her body, somehow much more pronounced than the bites on her neck had been. Yet both the pain and the cold went away as quickly as before. Kara could feel her blood starting to spill into his mouth as he began to suck. Her moans mixed with his as his hand sped up, pushing her closer and closer towards release. When Kara was almost ready to burst, he bit down harder, greedily drinking her in. The additional short burst of pain shook through her body, mixing with the waves of pleasure his fingers sparked inside her, and Kara felt herself shake and shiver as she peaked, coming with an almost desperate sounding shout of his name. 

Astarion’s lips were stained red as he looked up at her with fiery eyes, his hand stopping for only a second before he demanded with a growl, “Again!” and picked up his movement once more.

Kara wanted to protest. To tell him that she needed a reprieve. That she couldn’t possibly take any more already when he shifted slightly, and a moment later, she realized that he had found another spot to sink his teeth in. Closer than before, even, his bite was quick and uncompromising, and to Kara’s surprise, she didn’t even feel the pain anymore, only a rush of pure need flooding through her as Astarion took her to the same heights once more and at a speed that left her gasping for air. Kara barely knew what was happening when his pressure on her clit seemed to be just right, and she came for a second time, waves of pleasure crashing down on her as she gasped and moaned through the aftershocks.

Her hands fell away, and her eyes were still closed when she felt him draw back, licking once more over the slightly sore spots on her thigh before drawing her body closer against him. Astarion’s hands were running all over her body in gentle caresses. As she pressed herself against him, she realized that he had again managed to make her lose track of her surroundings completely when she felt his clothes against her bare skin.

“You are vastly overdressed for this,” Kara murmured, her eyes fluttering open. Her hands still trembled slightly as she reached for the nearest thing she could grab - his shirt - and started to undo the laces holding it together.

“That is something easily remedied,” Astarion replied, licking his lips before helping her in her task of undoing his clothes when something cut through the pleasant haze, tearing her mind out of the moment. 

Did someone just call her name? Kara blinked, trying to get the world back into focus, when she heard it again. 

_“Kara, are you out there?”_

Wyll. And from the sound of it, he was not too far away from them. A quiet groan left her mouth as she wondered how each one of their companions seemed to have the worst timing possible.

“Go away, Wyll,” Kara shouted back, annoyance clear in her voice. “We’re busy!”

Despite her tone, Wyll’s answer sounded surprisingly upbeat. “Believe me, I’d love to leave you alone, and I could definitely live without listening in, but there is a problem in camp…”

With a pained look at Astarion, who only raised his eyebrows in curiosity, Kara shuffled to sit up. 

“What is it?”

Wyll sounded slightly sheepish all of a sudden. “Well, _problem_ might be too extreme, but there is a dog in camp…”

For a second, Kara was too perplexed to answer until Wyll’s voice came again.

“Did you hear me? There is a dog! In camp.”

“A dog?” she asked, her voice full of disbelief. “And you need me of all people for that?” She could scarcely believe that none of her companions could handle a single dog on their own.

“Well, Shadowheart said you know this runt, befriended him in the woods somewhere?”

Sudden understanding bloomed in her as she remembered the poor pooch they had encountered earlier and how she had tried to coax him away from standing guard over his long-deceased owner.

“He must have followed us back to camp,” she mused before shouting into the direction Wyll’s voice had come from. “Give me a few minutes to get decent, and I’ll be right there.” 

With an affirmative hum, it sounded like Wyll was leaving, back in the direction of their camp. Astarion seemed to twitch behind her, and with a pained look and an apology ready on her tongue, Kara turned back to look at him only to blink in confusion when he shook slightly again, looking not the slightest bit annoyed but rather amused instead, and she realized what that twitching was - Astarion was shaking from stifled laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked, incredulously, but Astarion only shook his head, holding up a hand, indicating that he needed a moment to collect himself. When his laughter finally died down, he sounded slightly winded as he looked at her.

“A dog. We’re getting interrupted, for the second time today, and it’s by a dog…” Another laugh left him, and Kara couldn’t help but giggle herself.

“It seems this day is against us,” she said with a small smile. “That or my attempts at good deeds have a way of punishing me for it. I am so sorry!”

“Don’t be!” Astarion waved away her concerns with a gesture. “This is not without its charm.” His arm snuck around her shoulder, drawing her close enough so he could let his tongue run along her neck once more before he murmured, “And there is something to be said for building anticipation…”

A small sigh left Kara as she fought the urge to ignore what she had just promised Wyll and finally get Astarion out of his clothes instead. “Still, I feel bad about not…” she started, only to be interrupted by him.

“Not what? Reciprocating?” Astarion pulled her even closer until she was pressed flush against him, straddling his lap. “Darling,” he whispered softly against her ear, sending a flash of goosebumps over her skin with the low rumble of his tone, “You have no idea just how very satisfying the act of drinking your blood is.” Without further warning, he sank his teeth into her neck. Not too forcefully, but deep enough to draw blood. For a moment, he sucked languidly on the small bite until Kara let out a stifled moan. “Each drop is pure ecstasy,” Astarion mumbled against her skin before he licked the wound clean. “Mind you, I certainly wouldn’t say no to going further when we finally get the timing right, but don’t think for a second I am not getting something out of this so far.”

The sincerity in his voice set something in Kara at ease as he, without prompt, reached over to where her clothes lay and handed them to her. Kara took them with a grateful smile. 

She got off his lap to put on her underwear. When she reached for her pants, she gave him a curious look. “So,” Kara asked slowly, “Would you say that the whole blood thing is more satisfying than actual sex for you? Or is it about the same?”

“Good question.” Astarion looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment before he rose, holding out a hand for her to take and help her up. “They are not really comparable. I’d say it highly depends.”

Kara looked up from fastening her pants with a question on her face. “Depends on what exactly?”

As he handed her her shirt, Astarion tugged her slightly closer, running his hand down along her back in a gentle caress.

“On if you are as passionate about it as you are about swinging those axes, you love to wield,” he said with a telling wink, making Kara laugh at the overly dramatic way he had raised his eyebrows.

“Well,” she huffed amusedly before she pulled her shirt over her head, “You’ll have to wait for another time, hopefully, one with less interruption, to find that out, I guess.”

“Such seems to be my lot,” Astarion agreed in a dramatic voice. “And believe me, I can barely wait.” 

Kara grabbed the towel and her old clothes before they made their way back to camp together.

“So, what about that patience you kept mentioning earlier?” she asked, teasingly. Astarion’s reply was a heartfelt laugh.

“Darling, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time I promise I am not just teasing all of you.  
> Mostly.  
> Happy new year!

The forest was strangely silent for a moment as Kara looked down at the corpse lying at her feet. Blood was still dripping from her knife, mingling with the sea of red that seeped into the forest ground. Cutting someone’s throat, especially when doing it fast and in a hurry, always left behind a mess.

“You could have sent him on his way with some false information,” Wyll said dryly behind her. 

Kara firmly shook her head. “And risk him finding an actual trail leading back to us? Too risky,” she said plainly. 

A hunter, specifically on the prowl for one of her companions…. It had been a stroke of luck that they had stumbled upon him as they did instead of getting a nasty surprise down the road. 

“This was the most efficient way to make sure A… we all are safe.” Her brief hesitation seemed overly obvious to her, but on her other side, Shadowheart nodded in encouragement.

“I agree. Letting him go would have only caused trouble.”

Kara sent her a grateful look before she pulled out a rag from her bag to wipe down her blade. 

“Just… maybe don’t tell Gale when we get back?” she asked with a slight wince. “He doesn’t approve of me killing for practicality.”

Astarion had been strangely quiet throughout it all. Kara knew he had been itching to end the man’s life himself, but there had been no time to devise a plan, and she had deemed the risk too high of any one of her companions getting hurt if a fight broke out. Especially him, given that he had been the hunter’s proclaimed target in the first place. And so she had done the first thing that had come to mind: smiled pleasantly, offered to mark some fake information on the hunter’s map, and slit his throat at the first opportunity when he turned away from her. He had been dead before he could have even reached for his weapon.

For a moment, Kara worried her quick actions had somehow angered Astarion, but at her mention of Gale, he snorted loudly. “Our dear wizard doesn’t approve of any killing whatsoever. Dreadfully boring man, really.”

Shadowheart let out a quiet laugh. “I assume that’s part of the reason you’re sleeping with her and not with him,” she teased with a nod in Kara’s direction.

Astarion looked from her to the corpse on the floor as his smile widened. “Among other things,” he agreed, and Kara felt the relief running through her as she grinned back.

“I always knew one day my callousness would work in my favor!”

It didn’t take long for them to be on their way back to camp. As usual, Wyll and Shadowheart were a fair bit ahead when Astarion’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

“You’re not callous at all,” he said out of nowhere, and Kara stopped in her tracks.

“Beg your pardon?”

A knowing look was in his eyes. “You didn’t want to kill that hunter. You felt bad for him. And yet…”

Kara let out a huff. It wasn’t like Astarion was wrong, but she’d rather not be reminded of it. “I was not about to let someone come after you if I can prevent it.” She spoke without any hesitation, and it seemed to give Astarion pause.

“I appreciate it,” he said after a while before a smile replaced the rather somber look on his face. “With all my undead heart even. Maybe I can return the favor one day.”

At that, Kara chuckled. “Ha, well, if I spy some thugs sent to drag me back, or beware, my mother shows up herself to come after me, I’ll be sure to tell you first,” she said with a grin.

“Your mother?” Astarion asked, confusion all over his face, and for a moment, Kara cursed herself for not thinking before speaking. This was too far in the realm of privacy to simply share, after all. 

“We all have that one person we want to escape,” she murmured, evasively. 

“Yes, yes,” Astarion huffed with a wave of his hand before he gave her a skeptical look, “but mine is a power-hungry, sadistic vampire lord while yours sounds like you’re doing a belated teenage rebellion.”

At his easy tone, a bolt of unexpected anger rushed through her, and before she could stop herself, Kara grabbed him by his clothes and pushed him roughly back against the next tree. 

“I’d be very careful with making light of things you know nothing about,” she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. But despite her outburst, Astarion seemed unbothered.

“What happened,” he asked flippantly, the smirk on his face looking infuriating, “Did you not like your bedtime?”

For a moment, Kara felt like she was about to burst. Her fingers tensed around his clothes as she ground her teeth. Her first instinct was begging her to strike him down, channeling all her welled up anger into her fists before making it clear that this topic was never to be discussed again. 

But there was another feeling surging through her. The strange desire to explain herself. To unload what she carried around and had never shared with anyone before. Never before had she felt the urge to open herself up to someone before as strongly as she did just then. 

With a deep breath, Kara took a step back and let go of him. A strange calm settled over her as she looked up at Astarion, with no trace of hostility remaining.

“When I was younger, I had a friend,” she started slowly, carefully gauging Astarion’s reaction, encouraged as his cocky grin faded away and was replaced by a look of unveiled interest. “My best friend,” Kara felt the need to specify. “She and I grew up together, did everything together. She was closer to me than any family ever was.”

Astarion raised his eyebrows. “Let me guess where this is going, your mother disapproved?”

A toneless laugh left Kara’s mouth. “Friendship fosters weakness, and no daughter of hers was allowed to be weak.”

“She forbade you from seeing her again?”

Kara shook her head. “Oh no, my mother was far more cunning than that,” she said with a sigh. “She encouraged our friendship, made sure I spent as much time as possible with her. Fed into all my illusions and fantasies. I think…” She paused for a moment, ignoring the way her voice wavered slightly at all the memories that returned, not unexpected, but certainly unbidden as she talked.

“I think she was more than a friend to me,” Kara added, a lot more quiet than before. “I was young, completely inexperienced in matters of the heart, but I think I was in love with her.” When she looked at Astarion, he only nodded for her to go on, seemingly unwilling to interrupt her tale, and Kara sighed once more as she recalled what had happened next. “And then my mother made sure we’d be matched together for the coming-of-age ceremony.”

At that, Astarion shifted slightly. There was a look of uncertainty on his face as he said softly, “I’m afraid I know too little about Drow society to know what that means.”

“It means…” Kara hissed more at herself than at him. “It means you are thrown into an arena, put up against a range of wild beasts with nothing on you but plain clothes and your bare hands. For the elder’s entertainment and to weed out the weak.” 

“Your friend...” he asked quietly. “She succumbed to the wild beasts, and you couldn’t save her?”

Kara let out a startlingly loud laugh. “Oh, how noble that would have been! A fitting story for a would-be hero, wouldn’t you agree?”

The bitter tang of venom sat her tongue as she tried to squash down the feeling of despair rising at the memory. 

“No, we fought everything they threw at us. _Together._ ” Something wistful crept into her voice. “We were so in tune we didn’t even have to look at each other. I was told it was quite the spectacle.” 

She could see from the confusion on Astarion’s face that he had not yet connected the dots. That she would have to spell it out for him. 

“The thing is: The ceremony has no rules, except for one,” she added tonelessly. “There is only ever one winner.”

“Beg your pardon?” He blinked at her, seemingly startled. 

“You get thrown into the arena in pairs, but only one person is ever allowed to come out.”

Kara was surprised at how firm her own voice sounded, given that she felt nothing but dangerously fragile under the weight of her own words. Astarion’s eyes widened as he finally fully grasped what she was saying. 

“Your mother…”

“Made sure that my only means of survival was killing my…” Kara took a deep breath, unwilling to fully finish that sentence as she felt something in herself harden, as if to protect her from the treacherous grief she should have laid to rest years ago. 

“You want to know about Drow society?” she asked, sounding much harsher than before. “Everything comes down to rituals. Ceremony. After I won, they celebrated my victory by making me drink her blood out of a diamond-encrusted cup. And I, as tradition dictates, thanked them for it. On my knees.” 

She remembered all too vividly how she had struggled back then, trying desperately to swallow down the bile rising in her throat. “Someone put her head on a spike, next to the defeated animals, lining the way to our home. They stood there, watching me for a full fortnight.” 

Kara’s eyes had become unfocused, lost in her own memories. The sharp gasp Astarion let out at her tale gave her something to focus on, to pull herself away from the past. 

“So, to get back to your comment,” she said snidely, “This is not a teenage rebellion, as you so lovingly phrased it.”

Astarion’s face held a mix of shock and disbelief. “Your own _mothe_ r made you kill the girl you loved…”

Kara shrugged, trying to ground herself by waving the thought aside. “Maybe I was in love with her; I don’t even know if I am honest. I never had time to figure it out back then, and well, I was fifteen, so..”

“ _Fifteen?_ They made you do this at fifteen?” The hint of outrage in Astarion’s voice sounded surprisingly genuine. 

_‘Odd,’_ Kara thought to herself. 

“You sound remarkably surprised for someone whom I can only assume has seen all kinds of depravity under your master’s lifestyle,” Kara said plainly. She noticed him flinch slightly, but the stricken look remained on his face.

“I have lived through much,” Astarion said slowly, “I have seen more even, but to have this done to you by your family…” He shook his head in disbelief. “There are things that are wrong, and then there are things that are _wrong_.”

The statement sounded so heartfelt it threw Kara off for a moment. This was a completely different tone from the one Astarion usually used. More raw somehow, and Kara knew without a doubt that he meant every word he just said.

“That night was the first time I wished I could run and never look back,” she said, determination shining through her voice with every word as her eyes found his, and she put all her heart behind her next words. “I am _never_ going to go home, and I promise you, if you feel even half as much resentment towards your master as I feel for my mother, I will do everything in my power to make sure you don’t have to go back either.”

The forest was remarkably quiet around them as Astarion didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he looked at her with a mix of curiosity and wonder before he tried to school his features into something more familiar.

“I… don’t know what to say,” he finally answered before giving her a soft smile. “Thank you!” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “and I apologize for my thoughtless and insensitive remarks.”

Despite all the sudden honesty hovering between them, Kara couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows with a light huff. “Pff, please! They were anything but thoughtless,” she pointed out. At his surprised look, she elaborated. “I may have gotten swept away with it, but don’t think I don’t see what you were doing.” Kara narrowed her eyes at him in a calculating look. “You said what you said on purpose to rile me up and get me to tell you what you wanted to know.”

Briefly, she expected him to deny it and to come up with an excuse, but to her surprise, his smile only widened, and his eyes shone with an appreciative glint.

“You are… something else,” Astarion admitted. “And much more perceptive than I initially thought.” His look turned thoughtful. “The question is - why did you reveal so much if you were aware of this?”

It was a question Kara had not expected, and for a brief moment, she struggled with coming up with an answer until she decided to be equally as honest. 

“Maybe I wanted to tell someone,” she replied with a small shrug before looking at the ground like it held some intricate secret she had to decipher. “To tell _you_ . I never had anyone before that I felt I could share this with,” she murmured a bit more quietly. “That I trusted enough, I mean. Not after _her_.”

Everything around them was quiet again, and as Kara looked up, Astarion’s eyes were wide as he seemed stunned into silence. A few moments passed, the silence between them almost stretching out to an uncomfortable length when he suddenly shook his head.

“And you trust _me_?” Astarion said, sounding slightly confused and mildly shaken like he had genuine troubles understanding her. “Me of all people?”

“I don’t know if that means I am naive or incredibly stupid,” she muttered, shifting awkwardly from left to right. “Or if I’m just making the same mistakes over and over again, but…” Kara let out a sigh. “Yes, I believe I do.” 

She looked at him, hesitantly. “Does that bother you?”

At that, Astarion nearly flinched before he hurried to shake his head. “Bother me? My dear, no. Absolutely not!” He paused, giving her a long and thoughtful look before he added, “I am tempted to question your sanity though, given that you know quite well by now who, and more importantly _what,_ I am.” 

He had a point, Kara knew. Astarion had made no try at hiding that his foremost concern in their endeavors was himself. Just as he had made no secret about the fact that he was a predator. And still, somehow, she couldn’t help but feel that both of these things didn’t count nearly as much as the feeling she had in her stomach whenever they spent time together. 

“I guess it is what it is.” She shrugged, trying not to let her mind linger on these thoughts for too long. “It does feel kind of good, though. Sharing this, I mean. So whenever you want to talk about your master, you know…” She waved her arm in a nondescript gesture.

Astarion let out a soft chuckle. When he smiled at her, he looked almost apologetically. “Not sure that is going to happen,” he said lightly. “No offense.”

“None taken. But the offer stands, just so you know,” Kara said with another shrug as they started to get moving again. “I can probably relate at least a bit.”

“So it would seem,” Astarion said softly under his breath as they made their way back to their companions.

It took them another day of questioning locals and sneaking around the goblin-occupied ruins again until they finally got somewhere in their quest of finding and freeing the druid that might potentially help them with their mind-flayer dilemma. Naturally, securing said help was yet again not nearly as straight-forward as they had hoped to.

Kara was ready to run her head against the nearest wall as they collectively realized that they would have to help an entire grove full of Tieflings and druids fight off what amounted to something of an invasion—taking down a small Goblin army to even get a chance at getting this druid and his healing capacities on their side.

Still, their options were severely limited, and after hours of fighting and a few improvised and only partially well-done victory speeches, their camp had become the location of an impromptu victory party. One that, while still not really being to Kara’s interest, was at least a lot nicer than the rest of the day had been. And on the upside, they had at least managed to secure the help they had set out for, even if they still hadn’t gotten a lot closer to a useful solution. Everyone was in agreement, though, that further attempts could wait until the next morning. 

After a few shared drinks with her companions and the one or other tale told by their guests from the grove, Kara found herself looking for the familiar company of Astarion instead. When she found him a little further away from their guests, she paused. Unlike everyone else who had changed into more comfortable clothes, Astarion was donning his leather armor and was just in the process of fastening his knives on his belt as he noticed her.

“Not having a good time?” he asked, nodding towards the festivities with a raised eyebrow.

Kara shook her head with a smile. “It’s alright.” Kara shrugged as she gave him a quick once-over. “You are not staying?”

“Well,” Astarion said with an apologetic look. “Everyone having a grand time with food and drink around everywhere made me realize I am quite hungry myself.” He gestured to the entrance of the woods not too far away from them. “I was just about to rectify that.”

“Sensible as always,” Kara chuckled before asking. “So, are you planning on being back before the morning, or…”

A sly grin was on Astarion’s face as his eyebrows rose up further. “Darling, were you looking specifically for my company?” He sounded light-hearted, but there was an underlying hint of satisfaction in his voice. “Don’t worry, my dear, I’ll be back before you know it. You won’t suffer my absence for too long.”

Kara grinned back at him. “Every second I have to listen to another glorious tale about Goblin slaying will be pure agony without you there to make faces at me,” she said with a theatrical sigh. “But I guess I will make do. There must be something entertaining around.”

“Well, if this party gets any less interesting, we could always make our own entertainment once I’m back,” Astarion suggested with a knowing look. “Sufficiently far enough from camp that no one interrupts this time.”

“Maybe, if you say please.” A small grin was on Kara’s face that only got wider as Astarion gave a look of pure disbelief.

“Beg your pardon?”

Kara only raised her eyebrows. “You heard me,” she teased, far too amused by his surprised look. “If you want something, you should say please, right?”

“If you put it like that…” A devious spark went through his eyes as he narrowed them at her before smiling pleasantly. “Please…”

Kara smiled in satisfaction at his willingness to play along for her sake. “I’ll see you later tonight then,” she said with a hint of promise before turning to leave, but before she could take a step, Astarion’s arm snuck around her, drawing her back against his chest. 

There was no need for her to struggle. Not with him. But something about the tension in his muscles gave her pause, telling her she would have a hard time moving away if she tried to do so against his will and a small shudder ran down her back as his other hand came to rest at the base of her throat.

“Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, I’m going to enjoy turning the tables on you tonight,” Astarion growled lowly into her ear. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you said about your preferences.” 

Something in his voice had changed, and Kara’s heart beat faster as she realized that her first instinctive reaction to that tone was a shiver of fear running through her. Followed by the thought that it felt far more exciting than she would have expected.

“Are you planning on delivering on them then?” she asked in a breathless voice, unable to completely hide the small shake in it. From the delighted sounding little laugh behind her, Astarion had not missed any of it.

“Oh, I plan to deliver in full,” he said dangerously low. “What was it you preferred? Strength, aggression, assertiveness, and from what I’ve seen in the temple, a certain brand of pain goes quite well with your pleasure, doesn’t it?”

Kara’s breath hitched as his fingers around her throat tightened the slightest bit. 

“Answer me!” came his demand before he dragged his fangs over her neck, putting deliberate pressure on them to make it sting. 

Kara flinched, swallowing down a small moan before she got out a toneless “Yes!”

“Then you shall have all of that, my dear,” Astarion breathed against her neck, tongue tracing the fresh scratches he left behind on her skin. A second later, she felt a sharp sting on her ear as he bit into the sensitive flesh. “And since you inspired me so generously, I promise you this: For every little thing I am going to make you beg!” 

This time Kara couldn’t hold back the moan that spilled from her lips. There were still traces of fear, mingling with the arousal burning through her. This was far more direct and much more intense than Astarion had ever been with her before, but somehow she couldn’t find it in her to mind one bit.

Just as fast as he had caught her off guard, he suddenly let go of her, taking a step back.

“Well, this was certainly both fun and enlightening, wouldn’t you say?” Astarion chuckled, the earlier intensity less pronounced but not fully gone from his voice as he gently nudged her towards the festivities. “Now, run along dear, and enjoy the rest of the party. I’ll find you after my hunt.”

Kara was still trying to get her bearings, her breath going rapidly as she thought of something coherent to reply when Astarion leaned a bit closer again.

“And if I were you, I’d make sure to eat and drink sufficiently,” he murmured quietly. “I _do_ want you begging, but I’d hate to see you weak.” 

A moment later, faster than Kara could turn around, he was gone, vanished into the depths of the forest.

Kara took a few moments to breathe in deeply and calm down her heated cheeks before she went back to the camp. If they had plans for tonight, then she had some preparations to take care of.

The party was still going on when she was done about an hour later. Even though she was quite a bit away from camp, Kara could still hear the occasional boisterous laughter surrounded by the faint noises of singing. She was about to make her way back, joining her friends for what would most likely end in an elaborate drinking contest, when something gave her pause.

The forest had its own sound. A mixture of bustling leaves and the sound of various animals just going on about their day or night made for a soothing background noise most of the time. That was, unless something shifted, taking an element out of the equation and changing the ever on-going hum of the forest into something so unfamiliar it couldn't help but feel off. Unnatural. It took Kara only a few seconds to realize just what that change was. The animal sounds were gone. As if every living thing in the forest had suddenly decided to stay very quiet. 

_Or to run for their lives_ , Kara thought as the tension in her shoulders ebbed away again. This was not the first time she had felt this. Still, during the day, when everything around them was much noisier, it was a lot easier to ignore the specific effect Astarion’s presence had on all the living things around him when he was in a particular mood. 

When Kara turned, she saw him standing not too far from her, looking at her with sharp eyes as he pushed himself off the tree he leaned against and closed the distance between them. 

“There you are,” Astarion said in a low voice, looking at her expectantly. “I’ve been waiting.” 

Kara could see it in everything around him, from the look on his face to his posture and to the way he moved with absolute fluidity, that his hunt had been successful. Before she could argue that he had been the one away hunting, he ran his hand through her hair. 

“Waiting since the moment I first laid eyes on you,” he murmured. “Waiting to have you.”

Kara sucked in a sharp breath. It seemed like Astarion was not about to waste any further time. “You don’t have me yet,” she pointed out with a teasing smile, but he seemed utterly unbothered.

“Don’t I?” Astarion drew her hair back and behind her shoulder, exposing the small bite-marks on her neck. “You are here. And you already bear my marks,” he mused before his eyes turned darker. “In more than one place. You _want_ this.”

There was no reason for her to deny it, and so Kara simply leaned into his touch. “And what do you want?”

“What do any of us want?” Astarion’s fingers grazed over the tip of her ear. “Pleasure,” he nearly purred. “Yours. Mine. Our collective ecstasy.” 

She could see a hint of his fangs in his smile as he asked, “That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it? To lose yourself in me?”

His words sent a tingling sensation over her skin, and her heart beat faster, yet something in them gave her pause. As enticing as he made it sound, there was an air of casualness around that felt slightly off, especially after their talk this morning.

“That is not how I would have phrased it,” Kara replied slowly, and a look of surprise appeared on Astarion’s face.

“Oh? How would you describe your desires then?” he asked with a curious voice. “Go ahead, tell me!”

“It’s like you said on the shore.” There was no hesitation in Kara. She had told him things about her home she had never shared with anyone else ever before, after all. What was one more little honesty compared to that? “I want to be seen as I really am. _By you_.”

Astarion’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I see,” he murmured, drawing a strand of her hair from her face. “It is the opposite then.” 

Something in his eyes was unreadable to Kara as he gently tilted her face up. “You don’t want to be lost at all - you want to be found,” he said with a growl. “Taken. _Kept_.”

A shudder went down Kara’s spine at his tone that had turned into something a little bit sharper towards the end, and she didn’t know just how to interpret that. All she could do was simply ask, she realized. “Can you do that? Or can you already see your interest waning quickly?”

“You are selling yourself short again,” he said much softer than earlier before he gave her a crooked smile. “Don’t mistake my hesitation for disapproval, darling. It is not! But I am still a bit surprised, I have to admit.”

Kara’s eyebrows went up in surprise at his almost sheepish tone. “Surprised? You?”

“I must confess I am not really used to freely being offered more than a night at best,” Astarion said with a shrug before pausing. “That is what you are getting at, isn’t it? I didn’t misunderstand?”

“You didn’t.” Though he had just said he didn’t disapprove, a hint of insecurity remained within her. A small voice insisting she had been too forward, too demanding. That he might prefer something much more casual to what she had just asked for. 

“You have to understand,” Astarion explained. “Clandestine meetings and all sorts of sordid affairs are all I’ve ever been used to.” While he sounded light-hearted enough, his eyes were still slightly guarded as he added, “This is… not something I’ve come to expect, and I am wondering why you would even want that?”

 _‘That,’_ he said, but Kara knew what he really meant. 

_‘Him.’_

She felt a pang of nearly painful sympathy at his careful confession. Not daring to expect anything at all - she could certainly relate to that. Just as she could imagine all too well the level of discomfort the whole exchange probably held for him. She reached out, slowly sinking her hands into his once again immaculately styled looking hair.

“Now, who is selling themselves short?” she said teasingly, and the small smile forming on his lips sent a flutter through her stomach.

“That does sound very out of character for me,” Astarion agreed, a flicker of gratefulness in his eyes as the whole mood around them shifted towards something lighter again.

A moment later, his arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her flush against him. “If you truly want to be kept,” he murmured, and there was something still a little raw in his voice as he continued, “I think I can oblige.”

“Good.” Kara’s smile widened. 

She didn’t need elaborate plans or promises, after all. The gentle assurance that this was at least more than a passing fancy was enough for her for now.

“I should probably tell you that I took the liberty of moving our bedrolls into the small ruin nearby,” she added in a light tone. “It’s far away from camp, so we should have our privacy, but I told Shadowheart where we are, just in case of an emergency.”

Astarion chuckled lightly. “Oh, may we be spared another dog incident.”

“Please!” Kara agreed with a grin. 

But there was another thing she felt she had to say, something that had been steadily nudging her at the back of her mind. This one was slightly less easy to simply say, though.

“One more thing,” she started before clearing her throat. “I am… well, I think you should know that…”

When she trailed off for the second time, Astarion gave her a curious look, caressing her cheek once more in a soothing motion.

“You are nervous. Why, all of a sudden?”

From the slight heat she felt on her cheeks, Kara knew she had started to blush. “I’ve never before,” she tried to explain, making an aside gesture with her hand that was as nondescript as her stumbling words were. “You know, with someone like you…”

Understanding flashed through Astarion’s eyes, and a moment later, he grinned at her widely before he asked, “With a vampire? It’s an acquired taste, yes.”

Kara rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but chuckle at his antics. “That, too,” she laughed before gently swatting his shoulder. “You unbelievably smug bastard!”

Astarion turned serious for a moment. All traces of humor were gone as he tightened his arm around her briefly. “Don’t worry about a thing,” he said softly. “I’ll take good care of you, I promise.”

“Alright.” Kara let out a relieved sigh. “I trust you.” She didn’t miss the small spark in his eyes at her words before she motioned in the direction of their camp. “So, did you want to return to the party first, or…”

“I was thinking we should definitely still celebrate,” Astarion grinned. “But perhaps just you and I; if you don’t mind leading the way?”

Kara definitely didn’t mind, and with her stomach still tingling in anticipation, she pulled him along further away from camp. When they reached the ruins a little while later, Astarion stopped in his tracks, looking around curiously as he took in their surroundings. The bedrolls Kara had taken from the camp were arranged neatly, the ground around them freed from the rubble, and she had put down a handful of small lanterns, so it wasn’t completely dark inside. He let out an appreciative sound. 

“You’ve put some effort into this.”

“Well, I wasn’t really looking forward to a tumble on the ground,” Kara muttered quietly. “And given your remarks about camping, I thought you wouldn’t like that either. I know it’s nothing fancy, but…”

“I do appreciate it,” he interrupted her slightly nervous rambling before he turned towards her with a sly smile. “Though, if I am honest, I would have taken you against the wall in that filthy Goblin temple if the opportunity had arisen. You have a tendency of making me forget all about our sub-par surroundings.”

Kara felt the heat rise in her cheeks at his blunt words. “Well,” she started, her heart fluttering in her chest. “I…” She trailed off again immediately, now quite sure what she had wanted to say in the first place.

“Kara, relax,” Astarion chuckled before he held out his hand. “Come here.” 

Kara took a deep breath before she took the offered hand and let him draw her closer. 

“Yes,” he murmured quietly, “Just like that.”

Gently, he drew a strand of her out of her face, and his eyes found hers, shining brightly in the flickering light of the lanterns. 

“Stop worrying. I said I’d take care of you, didn’t I?” When she nodded slowly, his smile widened. “Just tell me whenever you need me to stop.”

“What if I want you to do the opposite?” Kara burst out before she could think any better of it, and a wicked grin spread across his face.

“Definitely tell me that, too! And who knows,” he mused, his voice dropping lower as his hands wandered over her back. “If you ask me nicely enough, I might even oblige.”

Kara licked her lips, and with fascination, she watched how his eyes were glued to her mouth, following her slight movement with parted lips. 

“Oh, we are going to have fun, you and I,” Astarion murmured, sending a shiver of anticipation through her as he dragged her closer. 

His fingers followed the seams of her shirt down to the hem of it, pulling it loose so he could slip his hands underneath. As he ran them up her back, Astarion let out an appreciative hum.

“You’re wearing nothing underneath.” A pleased smile spread over his face.

Kara couldn’t help but grin slightly. “I thought it would be way more efficient when I got dressed for the party.”

“Mhm,” Astarion hummed softly. “A tactical and considerate decision.”

“Want to know something even better?” Kara gave him her most intriguing look before she raised herself up on her toes and leaned close enough to whisper in his ear. “I’m not wearing anything underneath these pants either.”

A small shudder went through Astarion, and he pulled his hands out from under her shirt, tugging her closer by the hem of it.

“Take this off,” Astrion said with a low growl. “Now!”

Kara’s hands flew up to her shirt, pulling the laces loose as quickly as she could. A moment later, she was pulling the shirt over her head before letting it fall to the ground. Astarion’s hands were already busy with the fastenings of her pants, and it didn’t take long until she stood naked before him. His hands trailed down her shoulders, teasing the sides of her breasts before they settled on her waist.

Kara reached for the leather straps that held the light armor he had donned for his hunt in place. With a disapproving click of his tongue and a mockingly raised eyebrow, Astarion lightly slapped her hand away.

“Already so forgetful?” he chided her before he took hold of her chin, angling her face up. “What did I promise you earlier?”

Kara swallowed, her throat feeling unusually dry as he felt the heat pool between her legs, and she shifted slightly. “You said that for everything I want, you would make me beg,” she whispered. 

A pleased smile spread over his face at her answer. “Very good. In the interest of no miscommunication: ground rules!” Astarion gave her a heated but measured look. “You still want me to be in charge?” he asked with a raised brow.

Kara took a deep breath before she nodded once. “I do. Nothing has changed there.” 

For her, at least. A sliver of insecurity went through her as she feared that he might have changed his mind after all. But before she could voice anything, his hand around her chin softened.

“I am just making certain,” Astarion said with a hint of warmth in his voice. “I am not going back on my promise.” 

A small breath of relief escaped her as she smiled at him. “Are you going to give me a special word to stop you?” Kara had heard often enough from others how they handled such situations.

“Yes,” Astarion said with a pointed look. “That word is _stop_.”

Kara’s eyebrows went up, slightly taken aback by the sudden shift in his tone. “Just… stop?”

There was something in his eyes that made her pause. Something piercing as he looked at her with a mixture of determination and utter calm.

“I am not interested in having even the illusion of unwillingness from you,” he said, and Kara’s eyes widened by the hint of sharpness in his voice.

Astarion seemed to be well aware of it himself, for a moment later, his stern expression relaxed somewhat. 

“I will gladly be in charge of both you and your pleasure tonight,” he said, his voice a little softer than before. “But in return, I want something from you.” 

He coaxed her closer until she could feel the slightly rough texture of his leather armor brush over the sensitive skin of her breasts and Kara gasped. 

“I want you to be eager,” Astarion caressed her cheek with a soft brush of his fingers. “I will take the reins, just the way you need me to, but in turn, I want your enthusiasm. I want to see just how much you want to please me. Can you do that for me?”

Kara didn’t trust her own voice. She shifted slightly, pressing her legs together to stave off the throbbing need between her thighs as she nodded eagerly. 

“Now, why don’t we start where we left off last time.” He tilted his head with a teasing grin. “You know, give you a chance to reciprocate?”

His hand grasped her shoulder, pushing down subtly enough so Kara could have resisted easily. Heat rose in her as she watched the glint in his eyes and understood what he was getting at. Without further thought, she went with his gentle nudge, sinking down to her knees in front of him. Kara wondered if he could sense the remaining worry inside her.

Astarion’s hand cupped her cheek, tilting her head back enough to make her look up at him. 

“Are you still nervous?” 

When Kara nodded, he smiled down at her. 

“Such a difference to how you are when we are out and about or in combat even,” Astarion murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. “And yet you don’t hesitate to let me see this side of you…”

There was a hint of wonder in his voice before a sly grin spread across his face. “I think what would help you best is being told exactly what to do, don’t you agree?”

Again, a tremor went through Kara as his words seemed to get directly under her skin. “Yes,” she got out hoarsely before she remembered something else, and she added a quiet, “Please!”

The smile on Astarion’s face widened. “Oh, I think I am going to thoroughly enjoy this.” 

His thumb ran over her lips, pushing in between them for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about this beautiful mouth of yours,” he said in a low voice as his other hand began to undo his pants. “Imagining your pretty lips wrapped around my cock.” 

He pulled his hard length out, giving himself a languid stroke all while watching her closely. “Go on,” he murmured, “You know you want to. And you know what I want to hear.”

Another shudder went through Kara as she found herself looking at him and her tongue brushed over his thumb as she licked her lips. He was right; she definitely wanted to. This was something entirely new, something exciting. And the game they were playing managed to not only get her aroused to no end but also settled like a soothing balm over her nervousness. He would tell her what to do, and she wouldn’t have to worry about a thing as long as she simply followed. 

“Astarion, please,” Kara whispered softly. “Let me take you into my mouth. Let me return the favor, please.” 

Astarion briefly closed his eyes, looking like he was savoring her plea wholeheartedly. When he opened them again, they were darker and filled to the brim with desire. 

“How could I refuse?” He pressed down on her lower lip. “Come on, darling, open up!”

Without hesitation, Kara let her mouth fall open, her fingers clenching into her own thighs in anticipation. 

“Yes, just like that.” Astarion let out a soft hiss as he slowly pushed into her mouth. 

The tip of his cock lay heavy on her tongue for a moment, and Kara marveled at the small shudder running through him as she experimentally closed her lips around his shaft. Astarion let out a low moan, and Kara felt excitement well up in her at the thought of her being the cause of it. 

“Cover your teeth before you move,” he instructed her softly, and she did her best to oblige, flattening her tongue before she carefully bobbed her head. 

Another moan left his mouth, and his hand tightened in her hair as he smiled at her. “The thought of being the first one to do this to you is more appealing than I would have imagined. And you are doing so good.”

The praise went straight between her legs, spurring her on as she tried to take in more of him. She followed the slightly salty taste as he drew back a little, curling her tongue around the head of his length. Curiously, she dipped into the slit, tasting more of him.

“Ah, you are learning fast,” Astarion murmured as his other hand cupped her cheek. “Can you take me deeper?” 

Kara did her best to oblige, closing her lips tightly as she pushed herself onto his cock as far as she could. 

A much louder moan was her reward. She felt the tension running through him as he drew away only to slowly push back in, establishing a languid rhythm. 

“Yes,” Astarion growled softly. “You are doing so well. Keep this up.” His hand in her hair petted her soothingly for a moment before he added, “Such a good girl!”

Kara’s eyes rolled back for a second, and she couldn’t stop the deep, throaty moan that escaped her as his words shook through her like an electric current. 

“Oh, you like that a lot,” Astarion noticed, delight swinging in his voice as he grabbed her hair again and nudged her head to make her eyes find his.

“You want to be good for me?” he asked in a gravelly voice, and Kara eagerly bobbed her head, trying to nod around his length in her mouth. 

“Keep your lips tight and try to relax.” His smile widened as his hand left her face and reached for her shoulder. 

He nudged her arm until she lifted it, and with a firm grip, he took her hand and put it to rest against his leg. 

“Slap my thigh if you need me to stop,” he instructed her firmly before he slowly pushed further into her mouth.

Kara tried her best to do as he said, keeping her lips sealed tightly around him as she breathed slowly to relax. She had an idea what would come next, and a moment later, when he angled her head a bit more and pushed further than before, she was proven right. She felt him pressing against her throat, and for a moment, she thought she couldn’t breathe until the hand in her hair patted her gently again, and she heard his encouraging murmur from above.

“You can do it,” he said in a low voice. “Just relax.”

Astarion pushed even further, and a second later, a shudder went through her as he slipped down her throat. A deep groan filled the air around them as Kara held her breath, her own body tense from her arousal battling with her reflex to flinch away. A few seconds later, her arousal won out as she let out a muffled whimper.

“Oh darling, you are incredible,” Astarion praised her. “A natural.” 

He drew back, letting her catch a few deep breaths before muttered, “once more,” and pushed back into her deeply, not stopping until the tip of Kara’s nose was touching his stomach.

“Be a good girl and swallow,” he growled, and Kara clenched her fingers into her leg even harder in an attempt to keep herself from letting them wander in between her legs as she did her best to comply. 

As she swallowed around him, Kara could feel from the tension running through him that he was holding on to his slow pace with iron-clad self-control, and something in her burned with the need to break through that. When he pulled out, Kara drew all the way back until his cock left her mouth with a soft pop. With wide and pleading eyes, she looked up at him, her lips parted and slick with spit as she breathed heavily. All of her earlier nervousness was completely gone from her slightly raspy voice as she spoke.

“I want you to take your pleasure from my mouth,” Kara said in a low voice. “And I want you to stop being careful about it.” Almost like a belated afterthought, she added a breathy “please” to it. 

And that last bit of begging seemed to do it. Astarion’s eyes were full of heat as his hand in her hair tightened, and without saying anything more, he pushed back into her willing mouth, wasting no time in finding a faster, more demanding rhythm. 

Kara shivered from the pure lust that went through her as she felt every sharp thrust stoke her own desire, and she moaned wantonly around his length. Her moans mixed with his as she relaxed into his hold, letting him set the pace he needed. It didn’t take too long until the snaps of his hips became even more urgent, and he growled, “I am going to finish down your throat, and you are going to swallow every last drop!”

Kara still moaned at his words when his hips stuttered, and a moment later, he let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like her name as he filled her mouth with hot spurts of his release. His thrusts slowed down as Kara eagerly swallowed down the slightly bitter taste before he finally pulled all the way out with a deep sigh.

“Your mouth is like liquid fire,” Astarion murmured as he reached for her to help her up. His eyes looked unfocused for a moment like he had to collect himself.

“Drow run at a higher body temperature than most other species.” Kara tried to catch her breath. “Didn’t you know?” she added with a playful grin and a raised eyebrow. 

“Only in theory,” Astarion murmured before shaking his head. “I did not expect it to be so noticeable.” 

For a moment, he just stared at her before his hand clasped her cheek, and he ran his thumb over her lower lip, dragging it down playfully. 

Kara gasped, arousal simmering hotly in her as she let her tongue dart out. Her soft lick was accompanied by an equally soft moan, and it seemed to make something in Astarion snap. With a deep growl, he dragged her closer, and suddenly, _finally_ , his lips were on hers as he kissed her with abandon.

Kara shivered under the onslaught of his mouth as he grabbed her neck, tilting her head just right, and she opened up to him on instinct. If he was bothered by the taste of himself on her tongue, he didn’t let it show. On the contrary, the moment he pushed in between her lips, it only seemed to spur him on further.

She had waited for this for far too long. Wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Somehow, Kara had expected it to be different. Playful, whimsical, perhaps. Teasing and definitely light and noncommittal. Much like he was. But it was the exact opposite.

As Astarion swallowed her moans, his kiss was like a force of nature sweeping over her and leaving nothing standing in its wake. His lips were unrelenting, daring, and demanding. There was not an inch of hesitation in him as he kept moving her as he saw fit, taking whatever he wanted from her. 

It felt like the first time he had bitten her, Kara thought as she could do nothing but let herself be swept away. Astarion kissed like he was starving - like his hunger knew no bounds. 

Kara whimpered into his mouth as she realized he had spoken the truth. One way or another, he was going to devour her.

“Please, let me take off your clothes,” Kara whispered against his lips in between more kisses that left her breathless. 

After another few moments, Astarion drew back, his eyes full of mischief. “Go on then, undress me,” he prompted, “And don’t forget to tell me what else you want.”

Kara let out a soft whine as she gave him a pleading look. “Isn’t that obvious?”

“Very,” Astarion chuckled. “Tell me anyway, and don’t shy away from going into details.”

Kara was already busy opening the leather chest-piece of his armor, and after she pulled it off him, she reached for his shirt, dragging herself close to him.

“I want to feel you inside me,” she whispered while undoing the laces of his shirt. “I want to finally know what it’s like. What _you_ feel like.”

“What else?” Astarion prompted with a knowing smile as he went to help her with his clothes. “I know there is more. Tell me _exactly_ what else you want me to do.”

Kara swallowed as he stepped out of his pants, standing in front of her fully naked. In the low shine of the lanterns, his pale skin was in an even harsher contrast to her dark blue one, and she felt her fingers itch with the desire to touch every part of him. 

“I want you to hold me down,” she whispered, her breath hitching with excitement. “I want to feel you on top of me. I want to feel your strength as you keep me in place, and you take whatever you want from me without asking.” Kara licked her lips before she added, “I want to be completely overpowered.”

Astarion reached for her, his hands running over her shoulders and up along her neck until he held her face in both of his hands. “Hm,” he let out a low hum. “Taken and kept, right?”

“Please,” Kara whispered and let out a delighted gasp as his hold on her turned harder.

“You know just what to say, darling.” He grinned before he moved them, and a moment later, he was nudging her down onto the bedroll. As he covered her body with his, just like she had asked for, Kara instinctively let her legs fall apart.

“So eager,” Astarion purred, his voice filled with satisfaction before he teasingly nipped at the tip of one of her breasts, letting his tongue circle around her hardened nipple until it sent a shiver through her. His hand went to the other one, mimicking the motion, and Kara moaned, unable to keep still under his touch. Full of intention, his hand wandered down her sides and in between her legs. 

Without preamble, Astarion parted her folds, running his fingers through her slick before he pushed two of them inside her with a soft moan of his own.

“You are always so deliciously wet for me, my dear Kara.” He sighed, appreciatively. “Your mouth has been a delight, but I can’t wait to bury myself inside you.”

Kara nearly whimpered at his words, lust and anticipation flooding her whole body as she writhed beneath him. “Then what are you waiting for?” 

She let her hands wander up his arms and over his shoulders, trying to drag him closer, but he didn’t budge.

“I already told you what I want; I even said please,” she added with a soft whine.

“That you did.” Astarion’s smile held a hint of deviousness as he added, “Maybe I just like hearing it too much.”

Kara looked him straight in the eyes. “Fuck me, Astarion, _please!_ ” A hint of desperation was in her voice. “I want to feel your cock inside me and your teeth at my neck.” Her fingers trailed down his back, gently brushing over the many scars as she tried to pull him closer once more. “Please!”

With a growl, Astarion pulled back briefly, like he had to hold himself back from pouncing on her.

“You want me to drink your blood during sex?” he asked with a gravelly voice before he shook his head in disbelief. “Oh, must you tempt me so...”

“Do you want me to beg even more?” Kara asked, shivering under his intense stare. “Because I can,” she insisted. “Please, I want you to take me in every way possible!”

Astarion let out a near unnatural growl. It was deep and rumbling through her like the sound of thunder as he fought with himself, visibly trying to stay in control.

“You don’t know what you are asking,” he got out between clenched teeth. “I’ve hunted before this, taken every precaution and still…”

He took in a deep breath, and Kara could see the muscles in his arms and shoulders stain under the tension running through his entire body as he tried to hold himself back. 

“Still, I could not guarantee I would not put you in grave danger.”

Despite his denial, Kara could see the desire raging in him. The way he licked his lips without thought, the way his eyes narrowed in on her filled with hunger, and the way his hands had stiffened in an attempt not to hold her too forcefully gave away just how desperately he wanted to. Wanted her. All parts of her.

“I trust you,” she said softly, running her hand along his face, her fingers tracing lightly over his lips. “And besides, we have excellent healers in camp in case something does go wrong, and you know well enough that I don’t mind a few injuries.”

“If I lose control, it wouldn't just be a few injuries.” Despite his words, Astarion leaned into her touch all the same.

“You won’t,” Kara said, full of conviction. 

The whole night he had been nothing but careful with her. Putting her well-being and her desires above everything else. Some part of her was nearly completely certain that he wouldn't hurt her, even if he got swept away by the moment, but that did not mean he wasn’t right to worry. 

“I can’t promise you that you won’t lose control,” Kara said quietly but with a firmness behind her voice that left no doubt of her conviction. “But I am telling you that it might not be the end of the world. I am a lot stronger than I look. I can take a little bit of unhingedness.” 

With a pointed look, she added, “You should know that - you were there when I went through the ritual for the Lady of Pain.”

“I was,” Astarion let out a hesitant grunt. “And I remember you not entirely enjoying that.”

“I might enjoy it if it's _you_. I want all of you, just like you want all of me.”

Kara could see the moment where his doubt started to recede. The look of disbelief waning under the realization that she truly meant it. 

“You are certain about this.” This time it wasn’t a question; it was a statement. 

“Absolutely,” Kara answered. Once more, her fingers trailed over his lips, but this time she pushed her index finger in between them, deliberately letting it brush against his teeth. She gasped slightly as she put on more pressure, and felt her skin give against his sharp fangs.

Astarion growled as he tasted her blood, his hand firmly grabbing her wrist to hold it in place as he pushed her finger deeper into his mouth and sucked on the small cut.

“You are playing dirty,” he said, his voice filled with adoration, and Kara smiled.

“I know what I want. And I know you want the same.” She tilted her head in a blatant invitation, her eyes not leaving his as she licked her own lips before whispering, “Take me!”

Astarion’s eyes were dark with desire as he let out another growl and reached for her hands. A moment later, he held both of her wrists in one hand, pressing them forcefully down into the ground above her head. His free hand ran down her side again until he reached her thigh, spreading her a bit further.

“Tell me again,” he said in a low voice, as he took himself in hand, dragging the tip of his cock slowly through her folds. “You have never before let another person take you like this, yes?”

“Never.” The blatant, satisfied smile on his face made Kara’s stomach tingle again.

“Good!” Astarion looked down at her with pure heat in his eyes. “Do you know what that makes you?” he asked, and Kara shook her head.

“It makes you mine!” he growled, just as he finally pushed inside her with an almost forceful thrust.

Liquid heat spread through her entire body from both his words and the feeling of his hard length sliding into her deeply. Kara clenched around him, a guttural moan leaving her mouth as he didn’t stop until he was sheathed all the way inside her and his lips came clashing down on hers in a forceful kiss. 

Kara felt her breath leaving her as she gasped helplessly against the overwhelming sensations. As he started to move his hips and began thrusting in and out of her, his kiss was heated, demanding her complete surrender, and Kara gave it gladly and willingly.

With every move, Kara felt sharp sparks of pleasure running through her, stoking the pleasure between her thighs, and without thought, she wrapped her legs around his waist, locking them behind him so she could meet his thrusts with enthusiasm. 

Their kiss got more frantic, and Kara felt a little sting as his sharp teeth nipped her lip, and she tasted a hint of blood. For a second, Astarion went rigid before he moaned deeply into her mouth. When he tore his lips from hers a second later, Kara could see the hunger back in his eyes. Looking at him, breathless and with parted lips, she tilted her head, baring her neck at him once more in a blatant invitation, and this time Astrion didn’t hold back anymore. 

“Mine,” he said once more with a small growl before he bared his fangs, and a moment later, Kara felt the familiar pain of his bite shoot through her. 

He bit down hard, harder than he had ever before, but Kara didn’t care. The growing pleasure from each of his forceful thrusts, his strong grip on her wrists holding her in place without mercy, and the sharp stings of pain running through her neck blended together into a cacophony of sensations that threatened to nearly drown her. She felt him speed up as he started to suck and just like that, Kara was spiraling, losing all sense of where she was as a scream of pleasure left her, and she came shaking and shivering underneath him. 

She was still breathing fast and whispering his name over and over again as he tensed and for a second bit down even harder before he pushed deeply into her once more and joined her with a shudder and a deep groan against her neck.

Kara was dimly aware of still hearing some noises from the camp in the distance as she slowly regained her senses. She could only faintly hope that they were all still too busy singing and drinking to have heard her scream. Another thing she became aware of was that Astarion had let go of her hands. Both his arms were snugly wrapped around her back, and one of his hands cradled her head. 

Kara’s mouth was dry, and she felt somewhat light-headed as she tried to move only to realize that she couldn’t. It was only then that she realized that while he had slid out of her, his teeth were still buried in her neck and his lips firm on her skin as he gently, slowly drank from her. Briefly, she wondered why she wasn’t worried at all, but all she felt under his touch was peaceful. And something more, Kara realized with surprise as she became aware that each suck against her neck sent a shiver of pleasure through her that went straight in between her legs again.

“Astarion,” she murmured quietly, gently nudging him. She wasn’t prepared for the even stronger surge of pleasure that went through her as he pulled back only to move the slightest bit and sink his teeth into her again. 

It was slow, deliberate, and Kara was acutely aware of the sensation of her skin breaking under his teeth. Just as she was aware of the absolutely indecent moan that was leaving her mouth at the sensation, but this time he didn’t drink from her. Instead, he drew back again, letting his tongue run over the small wounds with a low hum.

“I want to leave my marks across your entire body,” he whispered against her neck. “Litter your skin with small dots of red and paint my name onto your skin.”

Kara’s breath got stuck in her lungs as he shifted onto his side and pulled her flush against him, his arms hard as steel around her. But his lips were still softly brushing over the spot he just bit, a touch so light she was almost questioning if it was truly there, accompanied by a soft sound as he whispered another, almost fierce sounding _‘mine’_ against her throat.

The sheer possessiveness in his voice had her almost tremble against him. His hand slid down her back until it came to rest on her ass, squeezing it as he pressed her tighter against his still hard cock trapped between them.

His voice sounded still rough as he leaned back to look at her. “To take you in every way possible,” he quoted her earlier with a raised eyebrow. “I doubt what's left of the night will be enough for that. Though we can certainly try.”

At the hint of his usual humor, Kara felt some of the tension between them letting up again, yet the heat that was still simmering remained.

“Luckily, I have not yet made any plans for tomorrow,” she breathed out, smiling expectantly at him.

“I guess we could always make some of those plans together,” he murmured before he kissed her again, and Kara let herself be swept away by his blissful touches once more.

**Author's Note:**

> [Come talk to me over on tumblr ^^](https://kunstpause.tumblr.com)


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